Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST - Free Report) had its price target upped by DA Davidson from $29.00 to $31.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. DA Davidson currently has a buy rating on the stock.
Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $30.00 price target on shares of Business First Bancshares in a research note on Tuesday. Raymond James Financial decreased their target price on shares of Business First Bancshares from $30.00 to $28.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on BFST
Business First Bancshares Price Performance
Shares of BFST traded down $0.63 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $25.75. 108,344 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 98,680. The stock has a market cap of $764.52 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.60 and a beta of 0.80. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $24.29 and a 200-day moving average of $24.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 0.99. Business First Bancshares has a 52 week low of $20.07 and a 52 week high of $30.30.
Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.04. Business First Bancshares had a return on equity of 11.49% and a net margin of 15.00%. The company had revenue of $79.21 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $77.54 million. On average, analysts forecast that Business First Bancshares will post 2.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Business First Bancshares Announces Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, May 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th were given a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.17%. Business First Bancshares's dividend payout ratio is presently 23.05%.
Insider Buying and Selling
In other news, CFO Greg Robertson sold 1,086 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.72, for a total value of $25,759.92. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 69,235 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,642,254.20. This represents a 1.54% 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. 5.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Business First Bancshares
Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in shares of Business First Bancshares by 32.8% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 121,344 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,119,000 after buying an additional 29,989 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Business First Bancshares by 13.2% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 222,158 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,709,000 after acquiring an additional 25,920 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in Business First Bancshares by 19.7% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 538,402 shares of the company's stock worth $13,837,000 after purchasing an additional 88,546 shares during the period. Hartmann Taylor Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Business First Bancshares in the 1st quarter worth about $816,000. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Business First Bancshares during the 4th quarter valued at about $294,000. 47.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Business First Bancshares Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
Business First Bancshares, Inc operates as the bank holding company for b1BANK that provides various banking products and services in Louisiana and Texas. It offers various deposit products and services, including checking, demand, money market, time, and savings accounts; and certificates of deposits, remote deposit capture, and direct deposit services.
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