Bank First National (NASDAQ:BFC) Sees Large Volume Increase - Here's Why

Key Points

• Bank First National Corporation experienced an increase in trading volume by 51%, with approximately 94,382 shares changing hands on Monday.
• Piper Sandler raised its target price for Bank First National to $137.00, while other brokerages have issued varying ratings, including a downgrade from "hold" to "sell" by Wall Street Zen.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.45 per share, representing a 1.43% yield and a payout ratio of 25.97%.

Shares of Bank First National Corporation (NASDAQ:BFC - Get Free Report) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Monday . Approximately 94,382 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 51% from the previous session's volume of 62,590 shares.The stock last traded at $126.46 and had previously closed at $126.33.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BFC has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Bank First National from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 26th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Bank First National from $115.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Finally, Hovde Group raised shares of Bank First National from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $130.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th.

Bank First National Stock Performance

The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $118.87 and a 200 day simple moving average of $109.52. The stock has a market cap of $1.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.91 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02.

Bank First National (NASDAQ:BFC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 18th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.80 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $41.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $43.85 million. Bank First National had a return on equity of 10.81% and a net margin of 29.04%. On average, equities analysts expect that Bank First National Corporation will post 6.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Bank First National Dividend Announcement

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bank First National

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Bank First National during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its position in Bank First National by 771.4% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 305 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its stake in Bank First National by 176.3% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 572 shares of the company's stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 365 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Bank First National by 17,650.0% in the 2nd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 710 shares of the company's stock valued at $84,000 after purchasing an additional 706 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in Bank First National in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $189,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 29.95% of the company's stock.

Bank First National Company Profile

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.