American Century Companies Inc. Purchases 72,328 Shares of Business First Bancshares, Inc. $BFST

Key Points

• American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in Business First Bancshares by 13.4%, holding approximately $14.87 million in shares as of the latest SEC filing.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.14 per share, resulting in a 2.2% dividend yield with a payout ratio of 22.31%.
• Business First Bancshares has received positive ratings from analysts, with a consensus target price of $30.75 and multiple firms issuing "buy" recommendations recently.

American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST - Free Report) by 13.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 610,730 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 72,328 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned approximately 2.06% of Business First Bancshares worth $14,871,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Business First Bancshares in the fourth quarter worth $67,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Business First Bancshares in the fourth quarter worth $85,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in Business First Bancshares in the fourth quarter worth $94,000. Virtus Investment Advisers Inc. acquired a new stake in Business First Bancshares in the fourth quarter worth $128,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Business First Bancshares by 12,527.9% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,430 shares of the company's stock worth $132,000 after purchasing an additional 5,387 shares during the period. 47.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on BFST shares. DA Davidson increased their target price on shares of Business First Bancshares from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $30.00 price objective on shares of Business First Bancshares in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $30.75.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Business First Bancshares news, Director John P. Ducrest bought 2,225 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 31st. The stock was acquired at an average price of $23.62 per share, with a total value of $52,554.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 13,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $323,971.92. This trade represents a 19.36% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 5.68% of the company's stock.

Business First Bancshares Stock Down 1.3%

Business First Bancshares stock traded down $0.33 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $25.08. The company's stock had a trading volume of 81,757 shares, compared to its average volume of 102,569. The company has a market capitalization of $742.37 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.99 and a beta of 0.85. Business First Bancshares, Inc. 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 $24.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $24.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, July 28th. The company reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $103.01 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $78.94 million. Business First Bancshares had a net margin of 15.47% and a return on equity of 11.21%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Business First Bancshares, Inc. will post 2.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Business First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, August 31st. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. Business First Bancshares's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.31%.

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.