Bank First National Corporation (NASDAQ:BFC) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Bank First National has a consensus “Buy” rating from five covering brokerages, including three buys and one strong buy. The average 12-month price target is $163, above the reported share price of $155.24.
• The company exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $2.45 EPS versus the $2.40 consensus estimate, although revenue of $65.03 million was slightly below forecasts.
• Bank First National raised its quarterly dividend to $0.60 per share, or $2.40 annually, implying a 1.5% yield and a 28.61% payout ratio.

Bank First National Corporation (NASDAQ:BFC - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus rating of "Buy" by the five research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $163.00.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on BFC. Wall Street Zen raised Bank First National from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 16th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Bank First National from $157.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Zacks Research raised Bank First National from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Hovde Group upped their target price on shares of Bank First National from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Bank First National from a "buy (a-)" rating to a "buy (b+)" rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th.

Bank First National Price Performance

Shares of BFC opened at $155.24 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.19 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $152.07 and a 200 day moving average of $144.73. Bank First National has a twelve month low of $119.08 and a twelve month high of $159.10.

Bank First National (NASDAQ:BFC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The company reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $65.03 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $65.25 million. Bank First National had a return on equity of 12.48% and a net margin of 27.70%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Bank First National will post 9.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bank First National Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. This is a positive change from Bank First National's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 23rd. Bank First National's payout ratio is currently 28.61%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bank First National

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ancora Advisors LLC bought a new position in Bank First National in the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in shares of Bank First National by 920.0% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 204 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in shares of Bank First National by 95.5% during the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 305 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its position in shares of Bank First National by 406.8% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 370 shares of the company's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Bank First National in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $99,000. Institutional investors own 29.95% of the company's stock.

Bank First National Company Profile

Bank First National Corporation NASDAQ: BFC is the bank holding company for Bank First National, a community bank headquartered in Princeton, Wisconsin. The company offers a comprehensive suite of financial services designed to meet the needs of individuals, families, small businesses and agricultural clients. Through its branch network and digital channels, Bank First National provides deposit accounts, consumer and commercial lending, mortgage financing and treasury management solutions.

The bank's core deposit products include checking and savings accounts, money market funds and certificates of deposit, complemented by online and mobile banking platforms that enable customers to manage their finances remotely.

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