Business First Bancshares (BFST) to Release Earnings on Monday

Key Points

• Business First Bancshares will release Q1 2026 results before the market opens on Monday, April 27, with analysts forecasting EPS of $0.723 and revenue of $92.446 million and a conference call at 10:00 AM ET.
• In the last quarter the company reported EPS of $0.79 (above estimates) but revenue of $69.44 million (below expectations); analysts model about $3.00 EPS for the current and next fiscal year and the consensus analyst rating is Buy with an average price target of $33.00.
• The firm pays a quarterly dividend of $0.15 (annualized $0.60, yield ~2.1%, payout ratio 21.5%), while insiders sold 13,778 shares (~$399K) over the past quarter and currently own 6.45% of the company.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST - Get Free Report) will likely be releasing its Q1 2026 results before the market opens on Monday, April 27th. Analysts expect Business First Bancshares to post earnings of $0.7230 per share and revenue of $92.4460 million for the quarter. Investors are encouraged to explore the company's upcoming Q1 2026 earning overview page for the latest details on the call scheduled for Monday, April 27, 2026 at 10:00 AM ET.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $69.44 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $81.41 million. Business First Bancshares had a return on equity of 11.25% and a net margin of 17.01%. 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 Price Performance

Shares of BFST opened at $29.00 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $948.01 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.39 and a beta of 0.82. Business First Bancshares has a 1 year low of $22.24 and a 1 year high of $30.32. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $27.68 and its 200-day simple moving average is $26.56.

Business First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, February 28th. Investors of record on Sunday, February 15th were given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. Business First Bancshares's payout ratio is currently 21.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Business First Bancshares

In other news, EVP Donald Chad Carter sold 3,778 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.27, for a total value of $103,026.06. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 13,863 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $378,044.01. This represents a 21.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Mark P. Folse sold 5,146 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.75, for a total transaction of $153,093.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 58,140 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,729,665. This trade represents a 8.13% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 13,778 shares of company stock worth $399,361 over the last quarter. Insiders own 6.45% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Business First Bancshares by 15,600.0% in the fourth 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 purchased a new position in Business First Bancshares during the 3rd quarter valued at $42,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in Business First Bancshares by 389.7% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,669 shares of the company's stock valued at $66,000 after acquiring an additional 2,124 shares during the last quarter. Virtus Advisers LLC bought a new position in Business First Bancshares in the 3rd quarter valued at $123,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP increased 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 worth $146,000 after purchasing an additional 1,786 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 47.35% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Business First Bancshares from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Raymond James Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Business First Bancshares from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Stephens boosted their target price on shares of Business First Bancshares from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, DA Davidson increased their price target on shares of Business First Bancshares from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $33.00.

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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