DA Davidson Raises Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) Price Target to $32.00

Key Points

• DA Davidson has increased its price target for Business First Bancshares from $31.00 to $32.00, indicating a potential upside of 28.15% from the last close.
• The company's stock is currently trading at $24.97, reflecting a 0.7% increase during midday trading.
• Business First Bancshares reported quarterly earnings of $0.66 per share, surpassing estimates and showing a revenue of $103.01 million compared to an expected $78.94 million.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST - Free Report) had its price objective hoisted by DA Davidson from $31.00 to $32.00 in a research report report published on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the stock. DA Davidson also issued estimates for Business First Bancshares' Q3 2025 earnings at $0.69 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $2.75 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $3.20 EPS.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on the company. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $30.00 price target on shares of Business First Bancshares in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Raymond James Financial decreased their target price on shares of Business First Bancshares from $30.00 to $28.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th.

Business First Bancshares Price Performance

NASDAQ:BFST traded down $0.83 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $22.92. 139,908 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 91,774. 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 company has a market capitalization of $680.49 million, a P/E ratio of 9.13 and a beta of 0.85. Business First Bancshares has a 12 month low of $20.07 and a 12 month high of $30.30. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $24.64 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $24.76.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 28th. The company reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $103.01 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $78.94 million. Business First Bancshares had a return on equity of 11.50% and a net margin of 15.47%. Sell-side analysts expect that Business First Bancshares will post 2.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Business First Bancshares Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, August 31st. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. Business First Bancshares's payout ratio is presently 22.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Business First Bancshares

In other news, CFO Greg Robertson sold 1,086 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.72, for a total value of $25,759.92. Following the transaction, 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director John P. Ducrest purchased 2,225 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 31st. The shares were bought at an average price of $23.62 per share, with a total value of $52,554.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 13,716 shares of the company's stock, valued at $323,971.92. This trade represents a 19.36% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 5.68% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Business First Bancshares

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in shares of Business First Bancshares by 111.1% in the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 623,464 shares of the company's stock valued at $16,023,000 after acquiring an additional 328,189 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 17.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,618,636 shares of the company's stock valued at $41,599,000 after purchasing an additional 245,491 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC lifted its stake 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 buying an additional 149,712 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Business First Bancshares by 19.7% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 538,402 shares of the company's stock worth $13,837,000 after buying an additional 88,546 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Business First Bancshares by 11.7% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 798,114 shares of the company's stock worth $20,512,000 after buying an additional 83,664 shares during the period. 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.