Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) Short Interest Down 31.3% in July

Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest in July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 146,300 shares, a decline of 31.3% from the July 15th total of 212,800 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 66,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.2 days.

Business First Bancshares Stock Down 1.3 %

Business First Bancshares stock traded down $0.28 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $21.58. The stock had a trading volume of 61,332 shares, compared to its average volume of 57,553. The company has a market cap of $550.33 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.50 and a beta of 0.98. The business's 50 day moving average price is $22.08 and its 200-day moving average price is $21.71. Business First Bancshares has a 52 week low of $17.88 and a 52 week high of $26.68. 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 (NASDAQ:BFST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.51 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $112.05 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $63.16 million. Business First Bancshares had a net margin of 15.90% and a return on equity of 12.19%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.70 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Business First Bancshares will post 2.07 EPS for the current year.

Business First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, August 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 15th. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.59%. Business First Bancshares's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Hovde Group boosted their price objective on shares of Business First Bancshares from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $26.67.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Warren Mcdonald sold 1,532 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.71, for a total value of $39,387.72. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 20,595 shares of the company's stock, valued at $529,497.45. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, insider Warren Mcdonald sold 1,532 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.71, for a total value of $39,387.72. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 20,595 shares of the company's stock, valued at $529,497.45. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Joseph Vernon Johnson sold 5,574 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.38, for a total transaction of $141,468.12. Following the transaction, the director now owns 213,357 shares in the company, valued at $5,415,000.66. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 13,406 shares of company stock valued at $340,372. Corporate insiders own 6.45% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Business First Bancshares by 8.2% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 669,530 shares of the company's stock valued at $14,568,000 after buying an additional 50,955 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 494,253 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,183,000 after purchasing an additional 3,358 shares during the last quarter. Mendon Capital Advisors Corp acquired a new stake in Business First Bancshares in the 4th quarter worth approximately $10,968,000. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in Business First Bancshares by 19.6% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 418,869 shares of the company's stock worth $9,115,000 after purchasing an additional 68,506 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ranger Investment Management L.P. grew its position in Business First Bancshares by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Ranger Investment Management L.P. now owns 333,918 shares of the company's stock worth $8,231,000 after purchasing an additional 17,095 shares during the last quarter. 47.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Business First Bancshares Company Profile

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.