CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) _ First Busey Corp. (BUSE) on Tuesday reported fourth-quarter profit of $29.9 million.

The Champaign, Illinois-based bank said it had earnings of 53 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, came to 61 cents per share.

The results topped Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of five analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 55 cents per share.

The bank holding company posted revenue of $112 million in the period. Its revenue net of interest expense was $105.6 million, also topping Street forecasts. Four analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $104.5 million.

For the year, the company reported profit of $123.4 million, or $2.20 per share. Revenue was reported as $403.5 million.

First Busey shares have risen roughly 2% since the beginning of the year. In the final minutes of trading on Tuesday, shares hit $27.62, an increase of 21% in the last 12 months.

This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on BUSE at https://www.zacks.com/ap/BUSE

Copyright by Automated Insights, Inc. All rights reserved., source Associated Press News