Q2 2024 Earnings Forecast for Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) Issued By DA Davidson

Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) – Analysts at DA Davidson increased their Q2 2024 earnings estimates for shares of Business First Bancshares in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, June 27th. DA Davidson analyst M. Navas now anticipates that the company will earn $0.49 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $0.47. The consensus estimate for Business First Bancshares’ current full-year earnings is $2.02 per share.

Business First Bancshares Trading Up 0.4 %

BFST stock opened at $21.59 on Monday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $20.89 and its 200-day simple moving average is $21.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. Business First Bancshares has a 52-week low of $14.39 and a 52-week high of $25.57. The firm has a market cap of $550.59 million, a P/E ratio of 8.50 and a beta of 0.98.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.57 by ($0.07). Business First Bancshares had a return on equity of 12.80% and a net margin of 17.08%. The firm had revenue of $60.92 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $61.93 million.

Business First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th were paid a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.59%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 14th. Business First Bancshares’s payout ratio is currently 22.05%.

Insider Transactions at Business First Bancshares

In related news, Director Rick D. Day purchased 1,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $20.30 per share, with a total value of $36,540.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 262,785 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,334,535.50. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 6.45% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BFST. Trexquant Investment LP purchased a new position in Business First Bancshares in the 3rd quarter valued at about $552,000. Kennedy Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Business First Bancshares by 25.1% in the 3rd quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 295,969 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,552,000 after purchasing an additional 59,297 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Business First Bancshares by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,276,408 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,945,000 after purchasing an additional 16,094 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in Business First Bancshares by 27.3% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 13,735 shares of the company’s stock worth $339,000 after purchasing an additional 2,946 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Denali Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Business First Bancshares by 93.4% in the 4th quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 17,600 shares of the company’s stock worth $434,000 after purchasing an additional 8,500 shares in the last quarter. 47.35% of the stock is 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.