Bank First National (NASDAQ:BFC) Sees Strong Trading Volume - What's Next?

Key Points

• Bank First National's shares saw a trading volume increase of 6%, with the stock last trading at $121.26, down from a previous close of $123.82.
• Analysts have mixed opinions on the stock, with upgrades from Hovde Group (target price $130.00) and Piper Sandler (target price $137.00), while Wall Street Zen downgraded it to a "sell" rating.
• The company reported a quarterly earnings miss, with earnings per share of $1.71, below analyst expectations of $1.80, and it announced a dividend of $0.45 per share to be paid on October 8th.

Shares of Bank First National Corporation (NASDAQ:BFC - Get Free Report) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Friday . Approximately 70,777 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 6% from the previous session's volume of 66,762 shares.The stock last traded at $121.26 and had previously closed at $123.82.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on BFC shares. Hovde Group upgraded Bank First National from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $130.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Bank First National from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of Bank First National from $115.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $133.50.

Bank First National Stock Up 0.7%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The company's fifty day moving average is $120.05 and its 200-day moving average is $111.32. The company has a market cap of $1.21 billion, a PE ratio of 17.73 and a beta of 0.41.

Bank First National (NASDAQ:BFC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, July 18th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.80 by ($0.09). Bank First National had a return on equity of 10.92% and a net margin of 29.04%.The company had revenue of $41.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $43.85 million. On average, analysts predict that Bank First National Corporation will post 6.9 EPS for the current year.

Bank First National Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 24th will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 24th. Bank First National's payout ratio is 25.97%.

Insider Transactions at Bank First National

In other Bank First National news, Director Michael S. Stayer-Suprick bought 410 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $122.67 per share, for a total transaction of $50,294.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 3,965 shares of the company's stock, valued at $486,386.55. This represents a 11.53% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 4.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Bank First National

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BFC. Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Bank First National during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its position in Bank First National by 771.4% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 305 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 270 shares during the period. CWM LLC grew its position in Bank First National by 176.3% during the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 572 shares of the company's stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 365 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Bank First National by 17,650.0% during the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 710 shares of the company's stock valued at $84,000 after buying an additional 706 shares during the period. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in Bank First National by 22.5% during the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 816 shares of the company's stock valued at $96,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the period. 29.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Bank First National

Bank First Corporation operates as a holding company for Bank First, N.A. that provides consumer and commercial financial services to businesses, professionals, consumers, associations, individuals, and governmental authorities in Wisconsin. It offers checking, savings, money market, cash management, retirement, and health savings accounts; other time deposits; certificates of deposit; and residential mortgage products.