Intech Investment Management LLC Invests $294,000 in Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST)

Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 11,457 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $294,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Business First Bancshares by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 407,801 shares of the company's stock worth $10,468,000 after purchasing an additional 27,023 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its stake in shares of Business First Bancshares by 158.1% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 46,792 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,201,000 after buying an additional 28,663 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Business First Bancshares by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 523,626 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,441,000 after buying an additional 24,992 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 129,677 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in Business First Bancshares by 25.3% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 171,115 shares of the company's stock worth $4,365,000 after purchasing an additional 34,602 shares during the period. 47.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Business First Bancshares

In related news, Director Rick D. Day acquired 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $25.46 per share, with a total value of $38,190.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 264,285 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,728,696.10. The trade was a 0.57 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 6.45% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BFST has been the subject of several analyst reports. Raymond James upgraded shares of 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 raised Business First Bancshares from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their target price for the company from $31.50 to $33.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th.

Business First Bancshares Trading Down 3.5 %

NASDAQ:BFST traded down $0.89 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $24.48. The stock had a trading volume of 105,059 shares, compared to its average volume of 81,206. The business's 50 day moving average is $26.09 and its 200-day moving average is $26.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 0.99. The company 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 one year low of $18.97 and a one year high of $30.30.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 11.88% and a net margin of 14.19%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Business First Bancshares, Inc. will post 2.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Business First Bancshares Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Saturday, February 15th were issued a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.29%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Business First Bancshares's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.