Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST - Free Report) had its target price hoisted by DA Davidson from $29.00 to $31.00 in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the stock.
A number of other research firms have also weighed in on BFST. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $30.00 price objective on shares of Business First Bancshares in a research report on Tuesday. Raymond James Financial lowered 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 report on Friday, April 25th.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on BFST
Business First Bancshares Stock Up 1.1%
BFST traded up $0.28 on Wednesday, reaching $26.35. The company's stock had a trading volume of 82,178 shares, compared to its average volume of 98,497. The company has a market capitalization of $782.33 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.84 and a beta of 0.80. Business First Bancshares has a fifty-two week low of $20.07 and a fifty-two week high of $30.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $24.12 and a two-hundred day moving average of $24.71.
Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $0.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $77.54 million. As a group, 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, May 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were paid a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.13%. Business First Bancshares's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.05%.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In related news, CFO Greg Robertson sold 1,086 shares of Business First Bancshares stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.72, for a total transaction of $25,759.92. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 69,235 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,642,254.20. The trade was a 1.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 5.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BFST. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 32.8% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 121,344 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,119,000 after purchasing an additional 29,989 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Business First Bancshares by 13.2% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Business First Bancshares during the 4th quarter valued at $1,362,000. AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new position in Business First Bancshares during the 4th quarter worth $304,000. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. grew its holdings in Business First Bancshares by 95.7% during the 4th quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 44,163 shares of the company's stock worth $1,135,000 after acquiring an additional 21,593 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 47.35% of the company's stock.
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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