Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST - Free Report) had its price objective boosted by DA Davidson from $29.00 to $31.00 in a report published on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the stock.
A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on BFST. Raymond James Financial reduced their price objective on shares of Business First Bancshares from $30.00 to $28.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $30.00 price target on shares of Business First Bancshares in a research report on Tuesday.
Check Out Our Latest Report on Business First Bancshares
Business First Bancshares Stock Up 0.1%
BFST traded up $0.03 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $26.38. 84,457 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 98,441. Business First Bancshares has a one year low of $20.07 and a one year high of $30.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $24.19 and its 200-day simple moving average is $24.72. The company has a market cap of $783.35 million, a PE ratio of 10.86 and a beta of 0.80.
Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $79.21 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $77.54 million. Business First Bancshares had a return on equity of 11.49% and a net margin of 15.00%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Business First Bancshares will post 2.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Business First Bancshares Announces Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, May 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were given a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.12%. Business First Bancshares's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.05%.
Insider Activity
In related news, CFO Greg Robertson sold 1,086 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,642,254.20. This trade represents a 1.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 5.68% of the company's stock.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Business First Bancshares
A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BFST. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in Business First Bancshares by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 13,719 shares of the company's stock valued at $353,000 after acquiring an additional 492 shares during the period. Gator Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Business First Bancshares by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Gator Capital Management LLC now owns 42,804 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,042,000 after purchasing an additional 522 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC grew its position in Business First Bancshares by 106.7% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,052 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 543 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Business First Bancshares by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 43,328 shares of the company's stock worth $1,114,000 after buying an additional 545 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP grew its position in Business First Bancshares by 15.2% during the first quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 4,128 shares of the company's stock worth $101,000 after buying an additional 546 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 47.35% of the company's stock.
Business First Bancshares Company Profile
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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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