Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) Posts Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.11 EPS

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST - Get Free Report) posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The company reported $0.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.11, Zacks reports. Business First Bancshares had a net margin of 15.90% and a return on equity of 12.19%. The company had revenue of $113.52 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $65.24 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.71 earnings per share.

Business First Bancshares Price Performance

BFST traded up $0.93 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $25.97. The stock had a trading volume of 75,196 shares, compared to its average volume of 61,248. Business First Bancshares has a 1 year low of $18.43 and a 1 year high of $26.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98. The business has a fifty day moving average of $24.84 and a 200 day moving average of $22.73. The company has a market cap of $662.29 million, a P/E ratio of 10.22 and a beta of 0.97.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Warren Mcdonald sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.68, for a total transaction of $37,020.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 19,095 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $471,264.60. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, insider Warren Mcdonald sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.68, for a total transaction of $37,020.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Saundra Strong sold 6,300 shares of Business First Bancshares stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.32, for a total value of $159,516.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,275 shares in the company, valued at $285,483. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 14,906 shares of company stock valued at $377,392. 6.45% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Hovde Group raised 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $26.67.

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.