DA Davidson Has Bearish Estimate for BFST FY2026 Earnings

Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST - Free Report) - Research analysts at DA Davidson lowered their FY2026 EPS estimates for shares of Business First Bancshares in a report released on Tuesday, July 1st. DA Davidson analyst M. Navas now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $3.00 for the year, down from their prior forecast of $3.05. The consensus estimate for Business First Bancshares' current full-year earnings is $2.72 per share.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $79.21 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $77.54 million. Business First Bancshares had a net margin of 15.00% and a return on equity of 11.49%.

Several other research firms have also recently commented on BFST. Stephens reduced their target price on shares of Business First Bancshares from $34.00 to $32.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Raymond James Financial lowered their price objective on Business First Bancshares from $30.00 to $28.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th.

Business First Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ BFST traded up $0.52 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $25.92. 103,980 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 97,206. The stock has a market cap of $769.56 million, a P/E ratio of 10.67 and a beta of 0.80. Business First Bancshares has a 1 year low of $20.07 and a 1 year high of $30.30. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $23.84 and a 200 day simple moving average of $24.72. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.

Business First Bancshares Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, May 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were issued 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 2.16%. Business First Bancshares's dividend payout ratio is presently 23.05%.

Insider Activity at Business First Bancshares

In related news, CFO Greg Robertson sold 1,086 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 29th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $1,642,254.20. This represents a 1.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 6.45% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Business First Bancshares

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 111.1% during the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 623,464 shares of the company's stock worth $16,023,000 after purchasing an additional 328,189 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Business First Bancshares by 17.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,618,636 shares of the company's stock worth $41,599,000 after buying an additional 245,491 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Business First Bancshares by 1,532.5% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 159,481 shares of the company's stock worth $3,883,000 after acquiring an additional 149,712 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 88,546 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Royce & Associates LP lifted its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 23.0% in the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 472,430 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,141,000 after acquiring an additional 88,230 shares in the last quarter. 47.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Business First Bancshares Company Profile

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.