FreeGulliver LLC Acquires New Stake in Business First Bancshares, Inc. $BFST

FreeGulliver LLC bought a new position in shares of Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 30,014 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $812,000. FreeGulliver LLC owned approximately 0.09% of Business First Bancshares at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Business First Bancshares by 115.4% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 38,485 shares of the company’s stock valued at $937,000 after purchasing an additional 20,620 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Business First Bancshares by 4.5% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 14,343 shares of the company’s stock worth $349,000 after buying an additional 624 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Business First Bancshares by 1,532.5% in the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 159,481 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,883,000 after buying an additional 149,712 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Business First Bancshares by 8.4% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 85,408 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,080,000 after buying an additional 6,596 shares during the period. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Business First Bancshares in the first quarter valued at $1,150,000. 47.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Business First Bancshares News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Business First Bancshares this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Business First reported Q2 EPS of $0.71, slightly ahead of Wall Street’s $0.70 estimate, while revenue of $91.0 million came in roughly in line; investors also saw solid profitability metrics, including a 17.02% net margin and 11.10% return on equity. Business First Bancshares earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Stephens raised its price target on BFST from $34 to $36 and reiterated an overweight rating, signaling confidence in additional upside. Stephens price target raise
• Positive Sentiment: Hovde Group also lifted its target from $32.50 to $36 and maintained an outperform rating, reinforcing the bullish post-earnings tone. Hovde Group price target raise
• Positive Sentiment: The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share, which supports the stock’s income appeal for shareholders. Business First Bancshares Q2 2026 results and dividend announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector commentary has also been constructive, with regional banks broadly reporting solid loan and deposit growth and improved credit quality, which adds a favorable backdrop for BFST. Zacks BFST Q2 metrics analysis

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on BFST. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $33.00 target price on shares of Business First Bancshares in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Stephens boosted their price target on shares of Business First Bancshares from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Business First Bancshares in a report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Hovde Group raised their price objective on shares of Business First Bancshares from $32.50 to $36.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $34.00.

Insider Activity at Business First Bancshares

In related news, Director George W. Cummings III sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.54, for a total value of $428,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 281,180 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,024,877.20. This represents a 5.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In the last three months, insiders have sold 36,595 shares of company stock valued at $1,031,732. 5.67% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Business First Bancshares Price Performance

NASDAQ BFST opened at $31.16 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $29.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $28.24. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The company has a market cap of $1.02 billion, a PE ratio of 11.05 and a beta of 0.78. Business First Bancshares, Inc. has a 1 year low of $22.56 and a 1 year high of $31.57.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.71 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70 by $0.01. Business First Bancshares had a net margin of 17.07% and a return on equity of 11.31%. The company had revenue of $91.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $91.31 million. On average, analysts predict that Business First Bancshares, Inc. will post 3.03 EPS for the current year.

Business First Bancshares Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Stockholders of record on Saturday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Business First Bancshares’s payout ratio is currently 21.28%.

Business First Bancshares Company Profile

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.