October 10, 2024
Top 10 Stock First Busey Strong Buy Recommendation



How to read the ranks

For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:

Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".

Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".

Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.

Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.

(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).

(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.

Snapshot: First Busey – Top 10 Stock in Sound Pay Practices in the United States


busey.com


First Busey is listed as a top 10 stock on October 10, 2024 in the market index Sound Pay USA because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. As all consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit excellent performance, including positive market sentiment in the professional investor community, it is a solid stock investment where the risk of paying too much for the shares is limited. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 100 (top 100% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall strong buy recommendation for First Busey on October 10, 2024.


Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks


Country USA
Industry Regional Banks
Index Customer Focus US, Dividends USA, Sound Pay USA, NASDAQ
Size class XX-Large
Latest Research


Top 10 Stocks ≠ most popular stocks

When Obermatt identifies the Top 10 stocks in a market, it’s based on a certain investment strategy. The best performing stocks usually aren’t the ones that everyone is talking about (those are often "over-priced" and have low Value ranks).

For each investment strategy, we provide you with more detailed analysis and our recommendation. You see the ranks of the top 10 stocks ranked by that particular investment strategy (360° View, Sentiment, Value, Growth, Safety and Combined Financial Performance).


360° View: Obermatt 360° View First Busey Strong Buy

360 METRICS October 10, 2024
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT
360° VIEW
360° VIEW

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 100 (better than 100% compared with alternatives) for 2024, overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock First Busey are very positive. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with all four indicators above average for First Busey. The consolidated Value Rank has an attractive rank of 89, which means that the share price of First Busey is on the lower side compared with the typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. This means the stock price is lower than for 89% of alternative stocks in the same industry. The consolidated Growth Rank has a good rank of 73, which means that the company experiences above-average growth momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, and invested capital growth as well as stock returns. The company is also safely financed with a Safety rank of 77. Finally, professional market sentiment is above average compared with other stock investment alternatives with a Sentiment Rank of 67. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 100, First Busey is better positioned than 100% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. As all consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit excellent performance, such as good value (Value Rank of 89), above-average growth (Growth Rank of 73), safe financing practices (Safety Rank of 77), and a positive market sentiment in the professional investor community (Sentiment Rank of 67), it is a solid stock investment where the risk of paying too much for the shares is limited and disappointments are less likely to occur, unless information not publicly available. High-Value Ranks sometimes indicate that the company's future is challenging. If they are safely financed and have above average growth, and are still a good value, it may indicate that this will not continue. We recommend evaluating whether the future of First Busey is as difficult as the stock’s low price, despite what good growth and safe financing practice suggest. Since the professional community is optimistic, you might have less to worry about, and the stock is just not sufficiently visible, which may indicate good timing right now. ...read more




Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for First Busey positive

SENTIMENT METRICS October 10, 2024
ANALYST OPINION
ANALYST OPINION
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 67 (better than 67% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock First Busey is above average. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for First Busey. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 87 (better than 87% of alternative investments), which means that currently, stock research analysts tend to recommend a stock investment in the company. Market Pulse is also positive with a rank of 82, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks are positive when discussing this company (more positive news than for 82% of competitors). But Analyst Opinions Change is negative with a below 50 rank of 6, which means that stock research experts are changing their opinions for the worse in recommending the company. In other words, they are getting more critical of investments in First Busey. There are also only so many institutional investors holding company stock with a Professional Investors rank of 43, which means that, currently, professional investors hold less stock in this company than in 57% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to invest in other companies. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 67 (more positive than 67% compared with investment alternatives), First Busey has a reputation among professional investors that is above-average compared with that of its competitors. The signals are ambivalent. The positive news in the market contradicts the negative change in analyst recommendations. Since the overall analyst recommendations are still above average, the stock may be safer for investing, especially if it is not an extra-large company where Pros tend to be less present. In such a case, the Pro Investor rank is not a problem. ...read more



Value Strategy: First Busey Stock Price Value at the top

VALUE METRICS October 10, 2024
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 89 (better than 89% compared with alternatives) for 2024, First Busey shares are significantly less expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators that are all above average for First Busey. Price-to-Sales is 92 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 92% of comparable companies, indicating a good value for First Busey's revenue size. The same is valid for expected Price-to-Profits, more favorable than for 76% of alternatives, and this is also true for the Price-to-Book capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Capital Rank of 60. Compared with other companies in the same industry, dividend yields of First Busey are expected to be higher than for 73% of all competitors (a Dividend Yield rank of 73). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 89, is a buy recommendation based on First Busey's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Since all value metrics are above the industry average, there is no objection to investing in First Busey based on its detailed value metrics.



Growth Strategy: First Busey Growth Momentum good

GROWTH METRICS October 10, 2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 73 (better than 73% compared with alternatives), First Busey shows an above-average growth dynamic in its industry. Investors also speak of positive momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for First Busey. Sales Growth has a rank of 100 which means that currently, professionals expect the company to grow more than 100% of its competitors. Capital Growth is also above 48% of competitors with a rank of 65. But Profit Growth only has a rank of 48, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 52% of its competitors. And Stock Returns have also been below average with a rank of only 43. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 73, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. Profits are sometimes low if the company invests in the future. The positive revenue and capital investment outlook confirms such an interpretation. Both revenues and capital are solid growth indicators, and lower profits in such a case would be encouraging. But the investors see it differently by punishing the share price. Sometimes, Mister Market is not very reliable, because it is not uncommon for it to be volatile. Investors should look out for signs of growth expenditure that could justify low profit growth, and they may also find reasons why recent stock price developments don't confirm the growth outlook of operations. While operating growth indicators are not perfect, they are more reliable indicators for future performance than stock prices that can repeatedly surprise investors. ...read more



Safety Strategy: First Busey Debt Financing Safety very solid

SAFETY METRICS October 10, 2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE
REFINANCING
REFINANCING
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 77 (better than 77% compared with alternatives) for 2024, the company First Busey has safe financing practices, which means that their overall debt burden is low. This doesn't mean that the business of First Busey is safe, it only means that the company is on the safer side regarding possible bankruptcy, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with two out of three indicators above-average for First Busey. Refinancing is at 98, meaning the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 98% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at 66, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 66% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. However, Leverage is rather large at 24, which means the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 76% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 77 (better than 77% compared with alternatives), First Busey has a financing structure that is significantly safer than that of its competitors. This is not bad if things go well. The higher debt level means better returns to shareholders if things go well. Many top-performing companies operate with higher debt levels, and First Busey could be in that group. But if you expect the environment to turn rougher, the higher leverage could become a problem. The same is valid if you expect interest rates to rise. That could squeeze shareholder returns, which so far have benefitted from better conditions. ...read more



Combined financial peformance: First Busey Top Financial Performance

COMBINED PERFORMANCE October 10, 2024
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
COMBINED
COMBINED

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 100 (better than 100% compared with investment alternatives), First Busey (Regional Banks, USA) shares have much better financial characteristics than comparable stocks. Shares of First Busey are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 89 (better than 89% of alternatives), show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 73), and are safely financed (Safety Rank of 77), which means low debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 100, is a strong buy recommendation based on First Busey's financial characteristics. As the company First Busey's key financial metrics all exhibit excellent performance, such as good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 89), above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 73), and indicate that the company is safely financed (Obermatt Safety Rank of 77), it is a solid stock investment where the risk of paying too much for the share is limited, unless the company has a bleak future. Such good financial performance can indicate that the company's future might actually be challenging, as it may be difficult to maintain the good performance. If they are safely financed and have been growing above average, and are still a good value, it means that the market is keeping prices low, for a reason which may become clearer over time. We recommend evaluating the future of First Busey. If you believe the company's future is market-typical or even better, this could be an argument for a share purchase. ...read more

Obermatt Portfolio Performance
We’re so convinced about our research, that we buy our stock tips.
See the performance of the Obermatt portfolio.