Business First Bancshares (BFST) Projected to Post Earnings on Thursday

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST - Get Free Report) is projected to post its Q2 2026 results after the market closes on Thursday, July 23rd. Analysts expect the company to post earnings of $0.71 per share and revenue of $91.3060 million for the quarter. Interested persons can check the company's upcoming Q2 2026 earning overview page for the latest details on the call scheduled for Thursday, July 23, 2026 at 5:00 PM ET.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The company reported $0.73 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.04. Business First Bancshares had a return on equity of 11.10% and a net margin of 17.02%.The business had revenue of $89.25 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $90.99 million. On average, analysts expect Business First Bancshares to post $3 EPS for the current fiscal year and $3 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Business First Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of BFST opened at $30.46 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $995.37 million, a PE ratio of 10.80 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98. The company's 50 day moving average price is $28.88 and its 200 day moving average price is $28.03. Business First Bancshares has a 52 week low of $22.56 and a 52 week high of $31.57.

Business First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th were paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. Business First Bancshares's payout ratio is presently 21.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BFST has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Stephens set a $33.00 price objective on shares of Business First Bancshares in a report on Monday, April 27th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Business First Bancshares in a report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, DA Davidson reissued a "buy" rating and set a $33.00 target price on shares of Business First Bancshares in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $32.33.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Business First Bancshares news, Director George W. Cummings III sold 15,000 shares of Business First Bancshares stock in a transaction on Monday, June 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.54, for a total transaction of $428,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 281,180 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,024,877.20. This trade represents a 5.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 36,595 shares of company stock valued at $1,031,732. 5.67% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Business First Bancshares

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 15,600.0% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,099 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 1,092 shares during the period. FWL Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Business First Bancshares in the third quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its holdings in Business First Bancshares by 389.7% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,669 shares of the company's stock valued at $66,000 after buying an additional 2,124 shares during the period. Virtus Advisers LLC bought a new position in Business First Bancshares in the third quarter valued at approximately $123,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP boosted its stake in Business First Bancshares by 43.3% in the second quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 5,914 shares of the company's stock valued at $146,000 after acquiring an additional 1,786 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 47.35% of the company's stock.

Business First Bancshares Company Profile

Business First Bancshares, Inc is the bank holding company for Business First Bank, a regional community bank headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, the company provides a full suite of commercial and retail banking services to small and medium-sized businesses, professionals and individual consumers. Business First Bancshares operates under a community-focused model, emphasizing personalized service, local decision-making and relationship banking.

The company’s primary business activities include commercial lending, treasury and cash management, and deposit services.

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