Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) Director Buys $47,415.00 in Stock

Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) Director Rick Day bought 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $31.61 per share, for a total transaction of $47,415.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 269,901 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,531,570.61. This trade represents a 0.56% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Business First Bancshares Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of BFST stock traded down $0.07 on Wednesday, reaching $32.01. 264,703 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 204,029. The company has a market capitalization of $1.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.35 and a beta of 0.78. Business First Bancshares, Inc. has a 12-month low of $22.56 and a 12-month high of $32.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $29.57 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $28.33.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.71 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70 by $0.01. Business First Bancshares had a return on equity of 11.31% and a net margin of 17.07%.The firm had revenue of $91.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $91.31 million. On average, equities analysts forecast that Business First Bancshares, Inc. will post 3.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Business First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on BFST. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Business First Bancshares in a research report on Monday, July 6th. DA Davidson boosted their price target on shares of Business First Bancshares from $33.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Stephens upped 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 note on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Hovde Group increased their price objective on Business First Bancshares from $32.50 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $34.50.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Business First Bancshares

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BFST. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Business First Bancshares by 15,600.0% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,099 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 1,092 shares during the period. FWL Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Business First Bancshares during the third quarter valued at about $42,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 389.7% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,669 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 2,124 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 36.5% in the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,446 shares of the company’s stock valued at $116,000 after purchasing an additional 1,188 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Virtus Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Business First Bancshares in the third quarter worth about $123,000. Institutional investors own 47.35% of the company’s stock.

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.