Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) Director Sells $428,100.00 in Stock

Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) Director George Cummings III sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.54, for a total transaction of $428,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 281,180 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,024,877.20. This trade represents a 5.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Business First Bancshares Price Performance

Shares of BFST stock traded up $0.21 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $28.69. The stock had a trading volume of 233,997 shares, compared to its average volume of 179,926. Business First Bancshares, Inc. has a 12-month low of $22.51 and a 12-month high of $30.32. The company has a market cap of $937.59 million, a P/E ratio of 10.17 and a beta of 0.79. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $27.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of $27.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.04. Business First Bancshares had a return on equity of 11.10% and a net margin of 17.02%.The business had revenue of $89.25 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $90.99 million. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Business First Bancshares, Inc. will post 3 earnings per share for the current year.

Business First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th were given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Business First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BFST has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings raised Business First Bancshares from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Stephens set a $33.00 price objective on shares of Business First Bancshares in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and set a $33.00 price objective on shares of Business First Bancshares in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $32.33.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Business First Bancshares

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Business First Bancshares by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd now owns 14,510 shares of the company’s stock valued at $343,000 after purchasing an additional 454 shares in the last quarter. Gator Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Business First Bancshares by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Gator Capital Management LLC now owns 65,967 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,724,000 after purchasing an additional 590 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of Business First Bancshares by 7.4% in the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 8,792 shares of the company’s stock valued at $208,000 after purchasing an additional 606 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 4.5% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 14,343 shares of the company’s stock worth $349,000 after acquiring an additional 624 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Business First Bancshares by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 242,669 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,343,000 after acquiring an additional 858 shares during the period. 47.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Business First Bancshares

Business First Bancshares, Inc is the bank holding company for Business First Bank, a regional community bank headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, the company provides a full suite of commercial and retail banking services to small and medium-sized businesses, professionals and individual consumers. Business First Bancshares operates under a community-focused model, emphasizing personalized service, local decision-making and relationship banking.

The company’s primary business activities include commercial lending, treasury and cash management, and deposit services.