Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new stake in shares of Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 32,100 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $986,000. Deutsche Bank AG owned 0.10% of Business First Bancshares at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BFST. Gator Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Business First Bancshares by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Gator Capital Management LLC now owns 65,967 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,724,000 after acquiring an additional 590 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Business First Bancshares by 4.5% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 14,343 shares of the company's stock valued at $349,000 after purchasing an additional 624 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Business First Bancshares by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 242,669 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,343,000 after purchasing an additional 858 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Business First Bancshares by 9.6% in the third quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 12,240 shares of the company's stock worth $289,000 after purchasing an additional 1,074 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Business First Bancshares by 15,600.0% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,099 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 1,092 shares during the period. 47.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Business First Bancshares Stock Performance
Shares of BFST opened at $31.21 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $31.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $28.96. The stock has a market cap of $1.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.07 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 1.01. Business First Bancshares, Inc. has a one year low of $22.56 and a one year high of $32.53.
Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.70 by $0.01. Business First Bancshares had a return on equity of 11.03% and a net margin of 17.07%.The firm had revenue of $91.81 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $91.31 million. On average, equities research analysts expect that Business First Bancshares, Inc. will post 3.02 earnings per share for the current year.
Business First Bancshares Announces Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Investors of record on Saturday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. Business First Bancshares's dividend payout ratio is currently 21.28%.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Hovde Group boosted their price objective on Business First Bancshares from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Business First Bancshares in a report on Monday, July 6th. Stephens lifted their price objective on shares of Business First Bancshares from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Finally, DA Davidson boosted their target price on shares of Business First Bancshares from $33.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $34.75.
Get Our Latest Research Report on BFST
Insider Activity
In related news, EVP Donald Chad Carter sold 1,875 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.64, for a total transaction of $59,325.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director George W. Cummings III sold 15,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.54, for a total transaction of $428,100.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 281,180 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,024,877.20. The trade was a 5.06% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 78,275 shares of company stock valued at $2,435,775. 5.67% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Business First Bancshares Profile
(
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.
Further Reading
Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BFST? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST - Free Report).
This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.
Continue following MarketBeat
Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.
Before you consider Business First Bancshares, you'll want to hear this.
MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Business First Bancshares wasn't on the list.
While Business First Bancshares currently has a Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.
View The Five Stocks Here
MarketBeat just released its list of the 7 hottest IPOs expected to hit Wall Street in 2026. See which companies are preparing to go public and why investors are watching closely.
Get This Free Report
