Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) EVP Donald Chad Carter Sells 1,875 Shares

Key Points

• Executive sale: EVP Donald Chad Carter sold 1,875 BFST shares for approximately $59,325 at an average price of $31.64, reducing his position by 12.92% to 12,642 shares.
• Financial performance: Business First Bancshares reported quarterly earnings of $0.71 per share, slightly exceeding analyst expectations, while revenue reached $91.81 million. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share, equivalent to a 1.9% yield.
• Analyst outlook remains positive: Multiple firms raised their price targets to $35–$36, and the stock carries a consensus “Buy” rating with a $34.50 target price. Institutional investors own 47.35% of the company.

Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST - Get Free Report) EVP Donald Chad Carter sold 1,875 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.64, for a total value of $59,325.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 12,642 shares in the company, valued at $399,992.88. The trade was a 12.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Business First Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of BFST stock traded down $0.05 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $31.66. 328,052 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 207,318. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The company's 50 day moving average is $30.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $28.59. The company has a market cap of $1.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.23 and a beta of 0.78. Business First Bancshares, Inc. has a 1 year low of $22.56 and a 1 year high of $32.39.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.70 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $91.81 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $91.31 million. Business First Bancshares had a return on equity of 11.03% and a net margin of 17.07%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Business First Bancshares, Inc. will post 3.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Business First Bancshares Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Investors of record on Saturday, August 15th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Business First Bancshares's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BFST has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Business First Bancshares in a report on Monday, July 6th. Hovde Group upped their target price on Business First Bancshares from $32.50 to $36.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. DA Davidson raised their target price on shares of Business First Bancshares from $33.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Stephens lifted their target price on shares of Business First Bancshares from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $34.50.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Business First Bancshares

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Business First Bancshares in the second quarter valued at $83,985,000. Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new stake in Business First Bancshares during the 2nd quarter worth about $986,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in Business First Bancshares during the 2nd quarter worth about $13,853,000. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Business First Bancshares in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,608,000. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its holdings in Business First Bancshares by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 989,686 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,761,000 after purchasing an additional 3,540 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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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