Key Points
- Director sale: Business First Bancshares director George Cummings III sold 11,595 shares on May 27 at an average price of $27.92, totaling about $323,732. After the sale, he still owned 296,180 shares.
- Recent performance and earnings: The company last reported quarterly EPS of $0.73, beating estimates of $0.69, though revenue came in slightly below expectations at $89.25 million. Shares recently traded at $28.24, near the midpoint of their 52-week range.
- Dividend and analyst outlook: Business First Bancshares declared a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share, implying a 2.1% annual yield. Analysts remain broadly positive, with an average rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $32.33.
Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST - Get Free Report) Director George Cummings III sold 11,595 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.92, for a total value of $323,732.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 296,180 shares in the company, valued at $8,269,345.60. This represents a 3.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.
Business First Bancshares Price Performance
Shares of NASDAQ BFST opened at $28.24 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $27.59 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $27.29. Business First Bancshares, Inc. has a twelve month low of $22.51 and a twelve month high of $30.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $922.88 million, a P/E ratio of 10.01 and a beta of 0.79.
Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $89.25 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $90.99 million. Business First Bancshares had a return on equity of 11.10% and a net margin of 17.02%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Business First Bancshares, Inc. will post 3 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Business First Bancshares Announces Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. Business First Bancshares's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.28%.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Business First Bancshares
Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. CenterBook Partners LP bought a new position in Business First Bancshares during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,080,000. Royce & Associates LP grew its position in Business First Bancshares by 17.5% during the 3rd quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 648,080 shares of the company's stock worth $15,301,000 after acquiring an additional 96,720 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in Business First Bancshares by 12.6% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 730,694 shares of the company's stock worth $17,252,000 after acquiring an additional 81,594 shares during the last quarter. Gator Capital Management LLC grew its position in Business First Bancshares by 52.7% during the 3rd quarter. Gator Capital Management LLC now owns 65,377 shares of the company's stock worth $1,544,000 after acquiring an additional 22,573 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd grew its position in Business First Bancshares by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd now owns 14,510 shares of the company's stock worth $343,000 after acquiring an additional 454 shares during the last quarter. 47.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of brokerages recently weighed in on BFST. Weiss Ratings raised Business First Bancshares from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. DA Davidson reissued a "buy" rating and set a $33.00 price objective on shares of Business First Bancshares in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, Stephens set a $33.00 price objective on Business First Bancshares in a report on Monday, April 27th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $32.33.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on BFST
Business First Bancshares Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
Business First Bancshares, Inc is the bank holding company for Business First Bank, a regional community bank headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, the company provides a full suite of commercial and retail banking services to small and medium-sized businesses, professionals and individual consumers. Business First Bancshares operates under a community-focused model, emphasizing personalized service, local decision-making and relationship banking.
The company’s primary business activities include commercial lending, treasury and cash management, and deposit services.
Read More
This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from InsiderTrades.com in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected].
