Stock fact sheet · data as of
First Busey Corporation (BUSEP): fair value, margin of safety and Wheel Score
Ticker symbol BUSEP · Financial Services · Banks - Regional · United States · Depositary preferred shares · Fund / Note
BUSEP is not First Busey Corporation's common stock: it is a depositary share of its preferred stock - each one a fraction of a single preferred share. Preferred shares pay a set dividend and rank ahead of the common stock if the company fails, but usually carry no vote and do not share in the company's growth the same way. The valuation models on this page are built for common stock and say little about a preferred share. The common stock trades as BUSE (common stock).
Is BUSEP undervalued?
BUSEP closed at 25.54 on 5 Nov 2026, 21% below the GLS average fair value of 32.15 from 9 models (6 of them above the price). That is a moderate margin of safety: the stock passes the "below fair value" Wheel Trade Filter, with room for a bigger discount on the Value part.
There is a wide gap between GLS Growth (5.70) and Graham Growth (62.54). When the models are this far apart the "fair value" is really a range, and the margin of safety above should be read with that range in mind.
BUSEP looks like a fund, note or preferred share rather than an operating company, so the nightly engine files it under Fund / Note: the valuation models are not built for it, and its Wheel Score is capped at 45.
Nine valuation models for BUSEP
Each model turns the latest filed numbers into a value per share; the GLS fair value is the simple average of the ones that produce a positive number. The last two rows are shown for reference and never enter the average. The Quote page lets you switch any model off and add your own margin of safety.
| Model | Value | vs price | What it measures |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCF | 10.09 | -60% | Present value of the projected free cash flows, discounted at the cost of capital |
| Graham Number | 41.31 | +62% | The most a defensive investor pays for the earnings and book value per share |
| Graham Growth | 62.54 | +145% | Graham's growth formula: EPS × (8.5 + 2 × growth), adjusted for bond yields |
| Lynch | 20.17 | -21% | EPS × the earnings growth rate (PEG of 1), growth capped at 25% |
| GLS Growth | 5.70 | -78% | EPS compounded ten years at the blended growth rate, discounted back at 15% a year |
| 10 Cap | 54.05 | +112% | Owner's earnings (operating cash flow less maintenance capex) capitalised at 10% |
| Payback Time | 34.30 | +34% | Eight years of compounded free cash flow: the price at which the business pays for itself |
| DDM | 30.35 | +19% | Dividend discount model: next year's dividend ÷ (10% − 3% growth); needs a dividend |
| EPV | 30.88 | +21% | Earnings power value: current EPS capitalised at 9% with no growth |
| Zombie (liquidation) | -161.91 | -734% | Current assets less all liabilities, per share: the balance-sheet floor. Not in the average |
| Wall St target | 0.0000 | -100% | Analysts' average 12-month price target. Not in the average |
Quality and financial health
No Piotroski health score is on file for BUSEP (the statements it needs were not available), so the Health part of the Wheel Score counts it at half marks - 10 of 20 - rather than marking the stock down for missing data. There is no GLS Moat score for BUSEP: funds, notes and second share lines get none, and so does a company with fewer than two years of accounts on file. The Moat part of the Wheel Score is zero.
Returns on capital are thin or negative - ROIC 4.6%, ROE 5.5%, ROA 0.7% - with debt at 0.20 times equity and a free-cash-flow yield of 7.4%.
The dividend yield is high at 8.08% (payout ratio 35%). A yield this size is often the market's way of pricing a risk to the payout, so the health score and cash flow matter more than usual.
Institutional ownership scores 5/10, insider activity 5/10 and Congressional trading 5/10 on the GLS smart-money scales.
| Piotroski F-score | - / 9 | ROIC | 4.6% |
|---|---|---|---|
| GLS Moat | - / 10 | ROE | 5.5% |
| Debt / equity | 0.20 | ROA | 0.7% |
| Free-cash-flow yield | 7.4% | Payout ratio | 35% |
| Institutions | 5 / 10 | Insiders · Congress | 5 · 5 / 10 |
Wheel Score 22: No options
No options are listed on First Busey Corporation in our nightly snapshot, so it fails the first Wheel Trade Filter (options that actually trade) (it reads 22, under 70) and is left out of every options scan; the fair value and health figures above are still useful for a plain stock position.
Volume runs at 14k shares a day on a market cap of $2.1B, with a beta of 0.19 - a low beta, so day-to-day moves are smaller than the market's; the Stability part of the Wheel Score rates that fair.
| Filter | Wheel Trade Filter | Result | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Options that actually trade | Fails | no listed options |
| 2 | A real business, not a gamble | Fails | a fund or note, not a company |
| 3 | Below fair value | Passes | Trading below the nine-model average fair value (margin of safety above 0) |
| 4 | Financially healthy | Passes | Piotroski F-score 6 or more out of 9 (a company with no score on file passes) |
| 5 | Can repay its debt | Passes | Long-term debt repaid from 3 years of operating cash flow or less (6 for real estate and utilities; banks and insurers are not judged on it) |
| 6 | No serious red flags | Passes | Red Flags score 60 or more out of 100 (earnings, margins, debt, analysts, filings and price checked the same way for every stock) |
| 7 | A premium worth selling | Fails | no implied volatility |
| 8 | Big enough | Passes | Market cap $1 billion or more |
| 9 | Not a penny stock | Passes | Share price $5 or more |
| How it ranks | Rating | From | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value | Good | 21% below fair value | |
| Premium | Weak | no option data | |
| Moat | Weak | no moat score | |
| Health | Fair | no Piotroski score on file - half marks | |
| Red Flags | Fair | not scored yet - half marks | |
| Option trading | Weak | no option volume data | |
| Stability | Fair | beta 0.19, $2.1B company |
The Wheel Score ranks ~7,400 US stocks for selling cash-secured puts and covered calls: a stock must pass all 9 Wheel Trade Filters to score 70, and the score then ranks the ones that pass; the Sunday Scan is the top 10. It is updated nightly and is not a recommendation. How the Wheel Score works · the walkthrough lesson shows how it fits into a trade, start to finish.
Upcoming events
The next earnings report is due on 26 Jan 2027, 82 days away - outside the window of a 30-45-day put sold today.
Earnings, dividend, IPO, split and economic calendars for the whole market, filterable to your watchlists.
Similar stocks in Banks - Regional
The 12 companies below are the closest to First Busey Corporation by market cap within the Banks - Regional industry, each with its own fact sheet; the Compare page puts up to eight of them side by side.
| Stock | Close | Fair value | MoS | Wheel | Mkt cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIISO Financial Institutions, Inc. 8.48% SRB1 PFD B | 105.89 | 74.82 | -42% | 16No options | $2.1B |
| WAFDP WaFd, Inc. | 14.73 | 33.91 | +57% | 34No options | $2.1B |
| CHCO City Holding Company | 144.54 | 140.93 | -3% | 35Weak | $2.0B |
| SRCE 1st Source Corporation | 89.21 | 109.80 | +19% | 43Weak | $2.1B |
| HTH Hilltop Holdings Inc. | 37.68 | 41.55 | +9% | 37Weak | $2.2B |
| FCF First Commonwealth Financial Corporation | 21.51 | 25.39 | +15% | 44Weak | $2.2B |
| OFG OFG Bancorp | 51.51 | 60.38 | +15% | 76Good | $2.2B |
| NTB The Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son Limited | 55.49 | 117.94 | +53% | 55Fair | $2.2B |
| WAFD WaFd, Inc. | 30.13 | 45.47 | +34% | 48Weak | $2.2B |
| TBBK The Bancorp, Inc. | 47.34 | 138.83 | +66% | 46Weak | $1.9B |
| HAPN Happen, Inc. Common Stock | 16.69 | 34.45 | +52% | 45Weak | $1.9B |
| DCOM Dime Community Bancshares, Inc. | 43.73 | 77.58 | +44% | 82Good | $1.9B |
⚖ Compare BUSEP with 7 of them All Financial Services stocks →
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Start free See the Sunday ScanQuestions about BUSEP
Is BUSEP the same as First Busey Corporation stock?
No. BUSEP is not First Busey Corporation's common stock: it is a depositary share of its preferred stock - each one a fraction of a single preferred share. Preferred shares pay a set dividend and rank ahead of the common stock if the company fails, but usually carry no vote and do not share in the company's growth the same way. The valuation models on this page are built for common stock and say little about a preferred share. The common stock trades as BUSE (common stock).
Is BUSEP undervalued right now?
By the GLS models, moderately: at 25.54 the stock trades 21% below the average fair value of 32.15 (data as of 5 Nov 2026).
What is the Wheel Score of BUSEP and what does it mean?
BUSEP has no listed options in our nightly snapshot, so it cannot be wheeled; it fails the first Wheel Trade Filter (options that actually trade), stays under 70 and is shown as "No options".
What is the GLS fair value for BUSEP?
32.15 per share as of 5 Nov 2026 - the simple average of the 9 valuation models (out of nine: DCF, Graham Number, Graham Growth, Lynch, GLS Growth, 10 Cap, Payback Time, DDM and EPV) that produced a positive value. The models run every night on the latest filings; the Quote page lets you switch any of them off and add a margin of safety of your own.
When does First Busey Corporation report earnings next?
The next earnings report is due on 26 Jan 2027, 82 days from the data date of 5 Nov 2026. The Calendars page lists every upcoming report with its time of day.
Does BUSEP have listed options, and how liquid are they?
No. The nightly options snapshot found no listed contracts on BUSEP, so the wheel strategy cannot be run on it and the Wheel Score stays under 70.