Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $27.34 and last traded at $27.34, with a volume of 19703 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $26.46.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Separately, Hovde Group upped their target price on Business First Bancshares from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th.
Read Our Latest Report on BFST
Business First Bancshares Stock Up 2.5 %
The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The business's 50 day moving average price is $25.07 and its 200 day moving average price is $22.87. The firm has a market cap of $691.87 million, a PE ratio of 11.69 and a beta of 0.97.
Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $0.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $113.52 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $65.24 million. Business First Bancshares had a return on equity of 12.19% and a net margin of 15.90%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.71 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Business First Bancshares, Inc. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current year.
Business First Bancshares Announces Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, November 30th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.06%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Business First Bancshares's dividend payout ratio is currently 24.14%.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In related news, insider Warren Mcdonald sold 1,532 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.71, for a total transaction of $39,387.72. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 20,595 shares in the company, valued at approximately $529,497.45. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 6.45% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Business First Bancshares
Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Argent Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Business First Bancshares by 4.0% during the second quarter. Argent Advisors Inc. now owns 12,949 shares of the company's stock worth $282,000 after acquiring an additional 497 shares during the last quarter. ELCO Management Co. LLC raised its holdings in Business First Bancshares by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. ELCO Management Co. LLC now owns 20,307 shares of the company's stock valued at $442,000 after buying an additional 585 shares during the period. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. raised its holdings in Business First Bancshares by 3.3% in the 2nd quarter. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 21,970 shares of the company's stock valued at $478,000 after buying an additional 708 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in Business First Bancshares by 5.6% in the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 14,506 shares of the company's stock valued at $323,000 after buying an additional 771 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ClariVest Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Business First Bancshares by 2.9% during the second quarter. ClariVest Asset Management LLC now owns 41,849 shares of the company's stock worth $911,000 after buying an additional 1,170 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 47.35% of the company's stock.
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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