** Shares of regional lender First Busey fall as much as 4% in early trading, last down 2.1% at $24.73
** Stephens downgrades rating on BUSE to "equal-weight" from "overweight," citing investor sentiment around the bank's $917 mln deal to buy smaller rival CrossFirst Bankshares
** Brokerage says investor feedback following an acquisition announcement tends to be mixed, adding that in the case of BUSE's deal with CFB, the response has been "decidely cautious" at best
** Stephens notes the deal has high integration risk from differing strategies at the two banks, adding that the deal will also hit BUSE's earnings
** Given investor sentiment, BUSE has become a more "wait-and-see" story with limited catalysts over the next year - Stephens
** Four of six brokerages rate the stock "buy" or higher and two "hold"; median PT is $31.50 - LSEG data
** As of last close, BUSE shares up 1.8% YTD
(Reporting by Arasu Kannagi Basil in Bengaluru)
((ArasuKannagi.Basil@thomsonreuters.com;))
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