Keith Mansfield Sells 4,200 Shares of Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) Stock

Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) COO Keith Mansfield sold 4,200 shares of Business First Bancshares stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.08, for a total value of $134,736.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 77,139 shares in the company, valued at $2,474,619.12. This trade represents a 5.16% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Business First Bancshares Stock Down 0.4%

Business First Bancshares stock opened at $31.82 on Friday. Business First Bancshares, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $22.56 and a fifty-two week high of $32.39. 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 company has a market capitalization of $1.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.28 and a beta of 0.78. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $29.81 and a 200-day simple moving average of $28.43.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $91.81 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $91.31 million. Business First Bancshares had a return on equity of 11.31% and a net margin of 17.07%. Equities research analysts expect that Business First Bancshares, Inc. will post 3.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Business First Bancshares Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of Business First Bancshares

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Business First Bancshares by 15,600.0% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,099 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 1,092 shares during the period. FWL Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Business First Bancshares during the third quarter worth approximately $42,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its holdings in shares of Business First Bancshares by 389.7% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,669 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 2,124 shares during the period. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Business First Bancshares by 36.5% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,446 shares of the company’s stock worth $116,000 after purchasing an additional 1,188 shares during the period. Finally, Virtus Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Business First Bancshares during the third quarter worth $123,000. 47.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.