33,506 Shares in Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) Purchased by Hartmann Taylor Wealth Management LLC

Hartmann Taylor Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 33,506 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $816,000. Business First Bancshares comprises approximately 0.7% of Hartmann Taylor Wealth Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Hartmann Taylor Wealth Management LLC owned about 0.11% of Business First Bancshares at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its position in Business First Bancshares by 111.1% during the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 623,464 shares of the company's stock worth $16,023,000 after purchasing an additional 328,189 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Business First Bancshares by 17.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,618,636 shares of the company's stock valued at $41,599,000 after buying an additional 245,491 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased 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 last quarter. Royce & Associates LP increased its holdings in shares of Business First Bancshares by 23.0% during the 4th quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 472,430 shares of the company's stock worth $12,141,000 after buying an additional 88,230 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 11.7% in 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 currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Greg Robertson sold 1,086 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.72, for a total value of $25,759.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 69,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,642,254.20. This represents a 1.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 5.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Business First Bancshares Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of BFST stock traded up $0.04 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $24.67. The company's stock had a trading volume of 636,517 shares, compared to its average volume of 97,697. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $732.45 million, a PE ratio of 10.15 and a beta of 0.81. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $23.75 and its 200-day simple moving average is $24.79. Business First Bancshares, Inc. has a 12-month low of $20.07 and a 12-month high of $30.30.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $79.21 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $77.54 million. Business First Bancshares had a return on equity of 11.49% and a net margin of 15.00%. On average, research analysts predict that Business First Bancshares, Inc. will post 2.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Business First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, May 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th were issued a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.27%. Business First Bancshares's payout ratio is currently 23.05%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on BFST. Stephens lowered their price target on Business First Bancshares from $34.00 to $32.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Raymond James Financial decreased their target price on Business First Bancshares from $30.00 to $28.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th.

About Business First Bancshares

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.