Bank First National (NASDAQ:BFC) Rating Lowered to Hold at Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research downgraded Bank First National from a "strong-buy" to a "hold," while analyst opinions remain mixed overall — the consensus is a "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $150.00.
• Bank First National posted a quarterly beat with $2.00 EPS versus a $1.75 estimate and revenue of $49.68M versus $43.75M, and sell-side analysts expect about 6.9 EPS for the current year.
• The stock opened at $131.93, trades in a 52-week range of $93.00–$152.99, has a market cap of $1.48 billion and a P/E of 18.25, while insiders recently sold shares and institutional ownership is around 29.95%.

Bank First National (NASDAQ:BFC - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on the company. Scotiabank upgraded Bank First National to a "sector outperform" 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 note on Wednesday, January 21st. Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of Bank First National from $142.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a 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 research report on Saturday, February 14th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $150.00.

Bank First National Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NASDAQ BFC opened at $131.93 on Thursday. Bank First National has a 52-week low of $93.00 and a 52-week high of $152.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.25 and a beta of 0.43. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $139.06 and a 200 day moving average price of $131.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.00.

Bank First National (NASDAQ:BFC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.00 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $49.68 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $43.75 million. Bank First National had a return on equity of 11.61% and a net margin of 29.31%. Sell-side analysts expect that Bank First National will post 6.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Bank First National

In related news, Director Steven M. Eldred sold 8,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.95, for a total transaction of $1,215,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 125,680 shares in the company, valued at $19,097,076. This represents a 5.98% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 3.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bank First National

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in shares of Bank First National by 2,452,855.0% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 490,591 shares of the company's stock worth $59,764,000 after buying an additional 490,571 shares during the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Bank First National during the 4th quarter valued at about $6,340,000. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in Bank First National by 112.1% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 66,620 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,116,000 after buying an additional 35,214 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Bank First National by 41.7% in the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 107,025 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,983,000 after buying an additional 31,510 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rafferty Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Bank First National in the third quarter worth about $2,993,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 29.95% of the company's stock.

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.

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