Womack Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 43,858 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,348,000. Business First Bancshares makes up approximately 0.9% of Womack Financial LLC's holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Womack Financial LLC owned approximately 0.13% of Business First Bancshares at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Business First Bancshares by 15,600.0% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,099 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 1,092 shares during the last quarter. FWL Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Business First Bancshares in the 3rd quarter valued at $42,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its stake in Business First Bancshares by 389.7% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,669 shares of the company's stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 2,124 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in Business First Bancshares by 36.5% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,446 shares of the company's stock valued at $116,000 after purchasing an additional 1,188 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Virtus Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Business First Bancshares during the third quarter worth $123,000. 47.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Business First Bancshares Stock Up 0.5%
Shares of BFST opened at $31.30 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $1.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.10 and a beta of 0.78. Business First Bancshares, Inc. has a 12-month low of $22.56 and a 12-month high of $32.53. The company's 50-day moving average price is $30.88 and its 200 day moving average price is $28.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60.
Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.70 by $0.01. Business First Bancshares had a net margin of 17.07% and a return on equity of 11.03%. The company had revenue of $91.81 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $91.31 million. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Business First Bancshares, Inc. will post 3.02 earnings per share for the current year.
Business First Bancshares Dividend Announcement
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Investors of record on Saturday, August 15th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Business First Bancshares's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.28%.
Insider Buying and Selling
In other news, EVP Donald Chad Carter sold 1,875 shares of Business First Bancshares stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.64, for a total value of $59,325.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 12,642 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $399,992.88. The trade was a 12.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Keith Mansfield sold 4,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.08, for a total value of $134,736.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 77,139 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,474,619.12. The trade was a 5.16% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 75,670 shares of company stock valued at $2,314,873 over the last quarter. 5.67% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on BFST shares. Hovde Group boosted their price target on shares of Business First Bancshares from $32.50 to $36.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Business First Bancshares in a report on Monday, July 6th. Stephens lifted their price objective on Business First Bancshares from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, DA Davidson boosted their price objective on Business First Bancshares from $33.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $34.50.
Read Our Latest Report on Business First Bancshares
About Business First Bancshares
(
Free Report)
Business First Bancshares, Inc is the bank holding company for Business First Bank, a regional community bank headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, the company provides a full suite of commercial and retail banking services to small and medium-sized businesses, professionals and individual consumers. Business First Bancshares operates under a community-focused model, emphasizing personalized service, local decision-making and relationship banking.
The company’s primary business activities include commercial lending, treasury and cash management, and deposit services.
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