Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. Has $1.14 Million Position in Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST)

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST - Free Report) by 95.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 44,163 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 21,593 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. owned approximately 0.15% of Business First Bancshares worth $1,135,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its stake in Business First Bancshares by 921.9% in the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 295,275 shares of the company's stock worth $7,580,000 after purchasing an additional 266,380 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Business First Bancshares by 194.8% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 196,238 shares of the company's stock worth $5,037,000 after buying an additional 129,677 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Business First Bancshares during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,362,000. Fourthstone LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Business First Bancshares during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,150,000. Finally, Meriwether Wealth & Planning LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Business First Bancshares in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $967,000. 47.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Business First Bancshares news, Director Rick D. Day purchased 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $25.46 per share, with a total value of $38,190.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 264,285 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,728,696.10. This trade represents a 0.57 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 6.45% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BFST has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Raymond James raised Business First Bancshares from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $30.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Hovde Group raised shares of Business First Bancshares from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $31.50 to $33.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th.

Business First Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of Business First Bancshares stock traded up $0.81 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $25.26. The company had a trading volume of 67,237 shares, compared to its average volume of 77,369. Business First Bancshares, Inc. has a 1-year low of $18.97 and a 1-year high of $30.30. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $26.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $26.26. The stock has a market cap of $746.48 million, a PE ratio of 11.18 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.99.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The company reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.49 by $0.17. Business First Bancshares had a net margin of 14.19% and a return on equity of 11.88%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Business First Bancshares, Inc. will post 2.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Business First Bancshares Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Saturday, February 15th were issued a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.22%. Business First Bancshares's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 24.78%.

About Business First Bancshares

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.