BancFirst (NASDAQ:BANF) Downgraded by StockNews.com to Sell

StockNews.com lowered shares of BancFirst (NASDAQ:BANF - Free Report) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note released on Tuesday morning.

BancFirst Trading Up 0.3 %

NASDAQ BANF traded up $0.37 on Tuesday, hitting $119.15. 107,133 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 102,098. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The company has a market capitalization of $3.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.50 and a beta of 0.82. The company's 50-day moving average price is $111.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $115.94. BancFirst has a 52-week low of $81.56 and a 52-week high of $132.29.

BancFirst (NASDAQ:BANF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The bank reported $1.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.58 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $164.84 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $161.72 million. BancFirst had a return on equity of 14.21% and a net margin of 23.52%. Research analysts predict that BancFirst will post 6.52 EPS for the current year.

BancFirst Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.54%. BancFirst's payout ratio is currently 27.84%.

Insider Buying and Selling at BancFirst

In other news, Director William Scott Martin sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.13, for a total transaction of $1,191,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 214,499 shares of the company's stock, valued at $25,553,265.87. This trade represents a 4.45 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Darryl Schmidt sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.06, for a total value of $610,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 43,564 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,317,421.84. The trade was a 10.30 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 25,000 shares of company stock worth $2,994,350 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 32.43% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in BancFirst by 155.3% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 314 shares of the bank's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its stake in BancFirst by 779.4% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 554 shares of the bank's stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 491 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of BancFirst by 211.2% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 582 shares of the bank's stock valued at $64,000 after acquiring an additional 395 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC boosted its holdings in shares of BancFirst by 11.5% during the 4th quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 862 shares of the bank's stock valued at $101,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC bought a new stake in shares of BancFirst in the fourth quarter worth $135,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 51.72% of the company's stock.

BancFirst Company Profile

BancFirst Corporation operates as the bank holding company for BancFirst that provides a range of commercial banking services to retail customers, and small to medium-sized businesses. The company operates through BancFirst Metropolitan Banks, BancFirst Community Banks, Pegasus, Worthington, and Other Financial Services segments.