StockNews.com Upgrades BancFirst (NASDAQ:BANF) to "Hold"

StockNews.com upgraded shares of BancFirst (NASDAQ:BANF - Free Report) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Monday morning.

BancFirst Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:BANF traded up $0.26 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $128.50. 79,382 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 103,679. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.27 billion, a PE ratio of 19.95 and a beta of 0.78. The business's 50 day moving average is $113.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $117.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. BancFirst has a one year low of $81.56 and a one year high of $132.29.

BancFirst (NASDAQ:BANF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The bank reported $1.67 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $164.84 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $161.72 million. BancFirst had a net margin of 23.52% and a return on equity of 14.21%. As a group, research analysts forecast that BancFirst will post 6.52 earnings per share for the current year.

BancFirst Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. BancFirst's dividend payout ratio is currently 27.84%.

Insider Activity at BancFirst

In related news, Director William Scott Martin sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.13, for a total transaction of $1,191,300.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 214,499 shares in the company, valued at $25,553,265.87. The trade was a 4.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 32.43% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BancFirst

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in BancFirst by 155.3% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 314 shares of the bank's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares during the period. Pinnacle Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in BancFirst in the first quarter worth about $40,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in BancFirst by 108.6% in the first quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 559 shares of the bank's stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 291 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in BancFirst by 211.2% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 582 shares of the bank's stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 395 shares during the period. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in BancFirst by 779.4% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 554 shares of the bank's stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 491 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 51.72% of the company's stock.

About BancFirst

BancFirst Corporation operates as the bank holding company for BancFirst that provides a range of commercial banking services to retail customers, and small to medium-sized businesses. The company operates through BancFirst Metropolitan Banks, BancFirst Community Banks, Pegasus, Worthington, and Other Financial Services segments.