Bank First National Corporation (NASDAQ:BFC) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Bank First National currently has an average analyst rating of “Moderate Buy” from five covering firms, with a consensus 12-month price target of $161.00.
• The company recently raised its quarterly dividend to $0.55 per share, up from $0.50, which implies a 1.6% yield and an annualized payout of $2.20.
• Recent results were mixed: Q1 earnings of $2.24 per share missed estimates of $2.40, while insider buying and several institutional position increases signaled ongoing confidence in the stock.

Bank First National Corporation (NASDAQ:BFC - Get Free Report) has earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the five ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $161.00.

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research cut shares of Bank First National from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Hovde Group upped their price objective on shares of Bank First National from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Bank First National from $150.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Bank First National from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Bank First National from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (a-)" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Bank First National news, Director Michael S. Stayer-Suprick purchased 225 shares of Bank First National stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 21st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $140.04 per share, for a total transaction of $31,509.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,597 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $643,763.88. The trade was a 5.15% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Todd A. Sprang bought 450 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 22nd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $138.96 per share, for a total transaction of $62,532.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 2,015 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $280,004.40. The trade was a 28.75% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 4.97% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Bank First National in the third quarter worth approximately $2,495,000. Citigroup Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Bank First National by 299.4% in the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 17,151 shares of the company's stock worth $2,081,000 after purchasing an additional 12,857 shares during the last quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Bank First National in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,020,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Bank First National by 87.0% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 26,452 shares of the company's stock worth $3,209,000 after purchasing an additional 12,306 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in shares of Bank First National by 2,452,855.0% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 490,591 shares of the company's stock worth $59,764,000 after purchasing an additional 490,571 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 29.95% of the company's stock.

Bank First National Price Performance

NASDAQ BFC opened at $139.87 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $1.56 billion, a PE ratio of 19.45 and a beta of 0.42. Bank First National has a 52 week low of $109.11 and a 52 week high of $152.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $140.64 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $135.82.

Bank First National (NASDAQ:BFC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The company reported $2.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.40 by ($0.16). The firm had revenue of $63.75 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $65.70 million. Bank First National had a return on equity of 11.89% and a net margin of 27.49%.During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.82 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Bank First National will post 9.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Bank First National Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 24th will be given a $0.55 dividend. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. This is a positive change from Bank First National's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 24th. Bank First National's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.82%.

Bank First National Company Profile

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.

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