Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST - Free Report) by 13.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 222,158 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 25,920 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned approximately 0.75% of Business First Bancshares worth $5,709,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.
Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in Business First Bancshares by 32.8% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 121,344 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,119,000 after purchasing an additional 29,989 shares during the last quarter. Americana Partners LLC bought a new position in Business First Bancshares in the 4th quarter worth about $317,000. MGB Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Business First Bancshares in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $841,000. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in Business First Bancshares by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 78,812 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,025,000 after acquiring an additional 3,809 shares during the period. Finally, Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Business First Bancshares by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 133,761 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,438,000 after purchasing an additional 1,099 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 47.35% of the company's stock.
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, Director Rick D. Day purchased 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was bought at an average price of $25.46 per share, for a total transaction of $38,190.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 264,285 shares in the company, valued at $6,728,696.10. The trade was a 0.57 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 6.45% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Business First Bancshares Stock Down 3.5 %
NASDAQ:BFST traded down $0.89 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $24.48. 105,059 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 81,276. The firm has a market cap of $723.43 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.83 and a beta of 1.04. Business First Bancshares, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $18.97 and a fifty-two week high of $30.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $26.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $26.27.
Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The company reported $0.66 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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Business First Bancshares, Inc. will post 2.72 earnings per share for the current year.
Business First Bancshares Announces Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Saturday, February 15th were given a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Business First Bancshares's payout ratio is currently 24.78%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Hovde Group raised shares of Business First Bancshares from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $31.50 to $33.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Raymond James upgraded Business First Bancshares from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $30.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 19th.
Read Our Latest Analysis on Business First Bancshares
Business First Bancshares Profile
(
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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