Bank First National (NASDAQ:BFC) Downgraded to Sell Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Bank First National (NASDAQ:BFC) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note published on Saturday.

BFC has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Piper Sandler raised their price target on Bank First National from $142.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Bank First National in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Zacks Research upgraded Bank First National from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Scotiabank upgraded Bank First National to a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Hovde Group lifted their price target on Bank First National from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $150.00.

Bank First National Price Performance

BFC opened at $146.00 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.99. Bank First National has a 1 year low of $93.00 and a 1 year high of $152.99. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $133.73 and its 200 day simple moving average is $128.25. The firm has a market cap of $1.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.19 and a beta of 0.42.

Bank First National (NASDAQ:BFC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.00 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.25. Bank First National had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 11.68%. The business had revenue of $49.68 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $43.75 million. As a group, analysts predict that Bank First National will post 6.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Bank First National Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 25th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. This is a positive change from Bank First National’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Bank First National’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.66%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Bank First National news, Director Steven M. Eldred sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.02, for a total value of $1,160,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 133,680 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,386,273.60. The trade was a 5.65% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 3.42% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bank First National

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BFC. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in Bank First National by 17.0% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 669 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey grew its position in shares of Bank First National by 6.5% during the 2nd quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 2,098 shares of the company’s stock valued at $247,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in shares of Bank First National by 22.5% in the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 816 shares of the company’s stock worth $96,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Bank First National by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC now owns 7,199 shares of the company’s stock valued at $934,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in Bank First National by 920.0% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 204 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares during the period. 29.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Bank First National

Bank First National Corporation (NASDAQ: BFC) is the bank holding company for Bank First National, a community bank headquartered in Princeton, Wisconsin. The company offers a comprehensive suite of financial services designed to meet the needs of individuals, families, small businesses and agricultural clients. Through its branch network and digital channels, Bank First National provides deposit accounts, consumer and commercial lending, mortgage financing and treasury management solutions.

The bank’s core deposit products include checking and savings accounts, money market funds and certificates of deposit, complemented by online and mobile banking platforms that enable customers to manage their finances remotely.