Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST - Free Report) - Analysts at DA Davidson issued their Q1 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Business First Bancshares in a report issued on Tuesday, January 28th. DA Davidson analyst M. Navas expects that the company will post earnings per share of $0.63 for the quarter. The consensus estimate for Business First Bancshares' current full-year earnings is $2.70 per share.
Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The company reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.17. Business First Bancshares had a net margin of 14.19% and a return on equity of 11.88%.
Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Raymond James upgraded Business First Bancshares from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $30.00 price target for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Hovde Group upgraded shares of Business First Bancshares from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $31.50 to $33.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on BFST
Business First Bancshares Trading Down 0.7 %
Shares of NASDAQ:BFST traded down $0.18 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $26.99. 92,091 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 114,726. Business First Bancshares has a 1 year low of $18.97 and a 1 year high of $30.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $26.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $25.62. The firm has a market cap of $797.28 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.94 and a beta of 1.00.
Business First Bancshares Announces Dividend
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Saturday, February 15th will be paid a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.07%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Business First Bancshares's payout ratio is currently 24.78%.
Insider Activity at Business First Bancshares
In related news, Director Joseph Vernon Johnson sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.33, for a total value of $65,825.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 183,057 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,819,890.81. This trade represents a 1.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 6.45% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Business First Bancshares
A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BFST. Mendon Capital Advisors Corp increased its holdings in Business First Bancshares by 1,380.0% in the second quarter. Mendon Capital Advisors Corp now owns 370,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,051,000 after buying an additional 345,000 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 921.9% during the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 295,275 shares of the company's stock worth $7,580,000 after acquiring an additional 266,380 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Business First Bancshares by 194.8% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 196,238 shares of the company's stock worth $5,037,000 after purchasing an additional 129,677 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Business First Bancshares by 8.2% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 669,530 shares of the company's stock valued at $14,568,000 after purchasing an additional 50,955 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fourthstone LLC purchased a new position in Business First Bancshares in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,150,000. 47.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Business First Bancshares Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
Business First Bancshares, Inc operates as the bank holding company for b1BANK that provides various banking products and services in Louisiana and Texas. It offers various deposit products and services, including checking, demand, money market, time, and savings accounts; and certificates of deposits, remote deposit capture, and direct deposit services.
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