Lazard Asset Management LLC Sells 2,180 Shares of BancFirst Co. (NASDAQ:BANF)

Lazard Asset Management LLC decreased its position in shares of BancFirst Co. (NASDAQ:BANF - Free Report) by 84.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 396 shares of the bank's stock after selling 2,180 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC's holdings in BancFirst were worth $46,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. grew its position in BancFirst by 42.3% in the 4th quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. now owns 48,518 shares of the bank's stock worth $5,685,000 after purchasing an additional 14,427 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG grew its position in BancFirst by 50.0% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 18,960 shares of the bank's stock worth $2,222,000 after purchasing an additional 6,318 shares during the period. Crestline Management LP bought a new stake in BancFirst in the 4th quarter worth approximately $384,000. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC bought a new stake in BancFirst in the 4th quarter worth approximately $135,000. Finally, Bridgeway Capital Management LLC grew its position in BancFirst by 43.8% in the 4th quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 18,700 shares of the bank's stock worth $2,191,000 after purchasing an additional 5,700 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 51.72% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at BancFirst

In other news, Director F Ford Drummond sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.12, for a total value of $620,600.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 6,000 shares in the company, valued at $744,720. The trade was a 45.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Randy Foraker sold 4,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.61, for a total transaction of $506,440.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 32.43% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

BancFirst Price Performance

Shares of BANF traded down $0.46 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $123.58. 110,118 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 105,081. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. BancFirst Co. has a 52-week low of $81.56 and a 52-week high of $132.29. The company's 50-day moving average price is $116.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $118.13. The company has a market cap of $4.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.19 and a beta of 0.78.

BancFirst (NASDAQ:BANF - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The bank reported $1.67 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.58 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $164.84 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $161.72 million. BancFirst had a net margin of 23.52% and a return on equity of 14.21%. On average, analysts anticipate that BancFirst Co. will post 6.52 earnings per share for the current year.

BancFirst Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be issued a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 30th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.49%. BancFirst's dividend payout ratio is currently 27.84%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on BANF. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of BancFirst from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of BancFirst to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, May 26th.

BancFirst Profile

BancFirst Corporation operates as the bank holding company for BancFirst that provides a range of commercial banking services to retail customers, and small to medium-sized businesses. The company operates through BancFirst Metropolitan Banks, BancFirst Community Banks, Pegasus, Worthington, and Other Financial Services segments.