Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST - Free Report) - Analysts at DA Davidson issued their Q4 2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Business First Bancshares in a research report issued on Monday, October 28th. DA Davidson analyst M. Navas forecasts that the company will earn $0.37 per share for the quarter. The consensus estimate for Business First Bancshares' current full-year earnings is $2.14 per share.
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 the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $113.52 million for 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 last year, the company posted $0.71 EPS.
Separately, Hovde Group upped their price objective on shares of Business First Bancshares from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Business First Bancshares
Business First Bancshares Stock Up 2.5 %
Shares of BFST traded up $0.67 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $27.13. 141,740 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 61,732. Business First Bancshares has a 1-year low of $18.97 and a 1-year high of $27.72. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $24.99 and a 200-day moving average price of $22.84. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a market cap of $691.87 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.41 and a beta of 0.97.
Business First Bancshares Announces Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, November 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Business First Bancshares's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.14%.
Insider Activity at Business First Bancshares
In related news, insider Warren Mcdonald sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 19,095 shares of the company's stock, valued at $471,264.60. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 6.45% of the company's stock.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Business First Bancshares by 8.2% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 669,530 shares of the company's stock worth $14,568,000 after purchasing an additional 50,955 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Business First Bancshares by 19.6% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 418,869 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,115,000 after purchasing an additional 68,506 shares in the last quarter. Mendon Capital Advisors Corp raised its holdings in Business First Bancshares by 1,380.0% during the second quarter. Mendon Capital Advisors Corp now owns 370,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,051,000 after buying an additional 345,000 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 6.1% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 201,149 shares of the company's stock worth $4,482,000 after buying an additional 11,506 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smith Shellnut Wilson LLC ADV lifted its stake in shares of Business First Bancshares by 4.3% in the second quarter. Smith Shellnut Wilson LLC ADV now owns 121,136 shares of the company's stock worth $2,636,000 after buying an additional 4,975 shares during the last quarter. 47.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
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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