Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in Business First Bancshares, Inc. $BFST

Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 59,449 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,608,000. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC owned 0.18% of Business First Bancshares at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Business First Bancshares by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,591,098 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,566,000 after purchasing an additional 17,690 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Business First Bancshares by 7.5% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,165,720 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,520,000 after buying an additional 81,833 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its stake in Business First Bancshares by 0.4% in the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 989,686 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,761,000 after buying an additional 3,540 shares in the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP lifted its stake in Business First Bancshares by 27.0% in the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 823,364 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,523,000 after buying an additional 175,284 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 731,206 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,119,000 after acquiring an additional 14,576 shares in the last quarter. 47.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Business First Bancshares news, Director George W. Cummings III sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 $8,024,877.20. This trade represents a 5.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, COO Keith Mansfield sold 4,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.08, for a total transaction of $134,736.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 77,139 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,474,619.12. This trade represents a 5.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 72,795 shares of company stock valued at $2,185,668. 5.67% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Business First Bancshares News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain bullish following the quarterly results: Stephens and Hovde Group raised their price targets to $36, while DA Davidson lifted its target to $35. The consensus rating is “Buy,” with an average target of $34.50, implying additional upside from recent levels.
• Positive Sentiment: Business First Bancshares reported quarterly EPS of $0.71, slightly ahead of the $0.70 consensus estimate. The bank also maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share, or $0.60 annualized, representing a yield of approximately 1.9% and a payout ratio of 21.28%.
• Positive Sentiment: Director Rick Day purchased 1,500 shares for approximately $47,415, modestly increasing his ownership and providing a small vote of confidence from an insider. Insider Buying: Business First Bancshares Director Acquires Shares
• Neutral Sentiment: BFST trades above both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages and near its 52-week high, indicating strong recent momentum but also leaving the stock more sensitive to profit-taking. Institutional investors own approximately 47.35% of the shares.
• Negative Sentiment: Several insiders sold shares in recent transactions. Director George W. Cummings III sold a combined 20,000 shares for roughly $639,400, COO Keith Mansfield sold 4,200 shares for $134,736, and Director Joseph Vernon Johnson sold 12,000 shares for approximately $379,800. Although each executive retains a substantial stake, the cluster of sales may be interpreted as a near-term caution signal. Business First Bancshares Insider Sale SEC Filing

Business First Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of BFST opened at $31.82 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.28 and a beta of 0.78. Business First Bancshares, Inc. has a 12 month low of $22.56 and a 12 month high of $32.39. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $29.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $28.43. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.71 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.70 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $91.81 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $91.31 million. Business First Bancshares had a net margin of 17.07% and a return on equity of 11.31%. Research analysts forecast that Business First Bancshares, Inc. will post 3.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Business First Bancshares Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on BFST. Hovde Group raised their price objective on shares of Business First Bancshares from $32.50 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Business First Bancshares in a report on Monday, July 6th. Stephens lifted their price target on Business First Bancshares from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Finally, DA Davidson upped their price objective on Business First Bancshares from $33.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Business First Bancshares currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $34.50.

Business First Bancshares 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.