Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST - Free Report) - DA Davidson lifted their FY2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Business First Bancshares in a research note issued to investors on Monday, October 28th. DA Davidson analyst M. Navas now forecasts that the company will post earnings of $2.17 per share for the year, up from their previous estimate of $2.07. The consensus estimate for Business First Bancshares' current full-year earnings is $2.14 per share. DA Davidson also issued estimates for Business First Bancshares' FY2025 earnings at $2.70 EPS.
Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $0.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.57 by $0.11. Business First Bancshares had a return on equity of 12.19% and a net margin of 15.90%. The company had revenue of $113.52 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $65.24 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.71 earnings per share.
Separately, Hovde Group upped their price target on Business First Bancshares from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 26th.
Get Our Latest Stock Report on Business First Bancshares
Business First Bancshares Stock Down 0.3 %
Shares of NASDAQ:BFST traded down $0.08 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $26.46. 71,229 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 61,349. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98. Business First Bancshares has a 1-year low of $18.97 and a 1-year high of $26.93. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $24.91 and a two-hundred day moving average of $22.80. The firm has a market cap of $674.78 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.42 and a beta of 0.97.
Business First Bancshares Announces Dividend
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, November 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.12%. Business First Bancshares's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.05%.
Insider Buying and Selling at Business First Bancshares
In other Business First Bancshares news, insider Warren Mcdonald sold 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.68, for a total value of $37,020.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 19,095 shares in the company, valued at $471,264.60. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 6.45% of the company's stock.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC bought a new position in shares of Business First Bancshares during the 2nd quarter worth $106,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Business First Bancshares during the 2nd quarter worth about $116,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in Business First Bancshares by 75.8% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 11,608 shares of the company's stock worth $259,000 after purchasing an additional 5,004 shares in the last quarter. Argent Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Business First Bancshares by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter. Argent Advisors Inc. now owns 12,949 shares of the company's stock worth $282,000 after purchasing an additional 497 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of Business First Bancshares by 5.6% in the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 14,506 shares of the company's stock valued at $323,000 after acquiring an additional 771 shares in the last quarter. 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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