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

Key Points

• Analyst consensus: Five brokers rate Bank First National a "Moderate Buy" (2 holds, 3 buys) with an average 12‑month price target of $150.
• The bank beat quarterly expectations—$2.00 EPS vs. $1.75 expected and $49.68M revenue vs. $43.75M—showing a 11.61% ROE and 29.31% net margin, and analysts forecast about 6.9 EPS for the fiscal year.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.50 (annualized $2.00, 1.4% yield) and an insider sold 8,000 shares at roughly $151.95, while institutional ownership stands near 30%.

Shares of Bank First National Corporation (NASDAQ:BFC - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the five brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $150.00.

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Zacks Research cut Bank First National from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Bank First National in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of Bank First National from $142.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Bank First National to a "sector outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Bank First National from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th.

Bank First National Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:BFC opened at $141.75 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.61 and a beta of 0.40. Bank First National has a 1 year low of $98.00 and a 1 year high of $152.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 1.00. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $139.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $132.00.

Bank First National (NASDAQ:BFC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $49.68 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $43.75 million. Bank First National had a return on equity of 11.61% and a net margin of 29.31%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Bank First National will post 6.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bank First National Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is an increase from Bank First National's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 25th. Bank First National's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.66%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Bank First National news, Director Steven M. Eldred sold 8,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.95, for a total value of $1,215,600.00. Following the sale, the director owned 125,680 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,097,076. This trade represents a 5.98% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 4.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Bank First National

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in Bank First National by 95.5% in the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 305 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in shares of Bank First National by 22.5% in the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 816 shares of the company's stock worth $96,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Bank First National by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC now owns 7,199 shares of the company's stock worth $934,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in shares of Bank First National by 920.0% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC boosted its stake in shares of Bank First National by 34.7% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 901 shares of the company's stock valued at $109,000 after purchasing an additional 232 shares in the last quarter. 29.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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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