Jump Financial LLC Makes New Investment in Business First Bancshares, Inc. $BFST

Key Points

• Jump Financial LLC has made a new investment of approximately $270,000 in Business First Bancshares, acquiring 11,100 shares during the first quarter.
• Business First Bancshares recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.14 per share, representing a 2.2% yield with a payout ratio of 22.31%.
• Analysts have a consensus rating of "Buy" for Business First Bancshares with an average price target of $30.75.

Jump Financial LLC bought a new stake in Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 11,100 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $270,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of BFST. Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Business First Bancshares during the 4th quarter worth $85,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new position in Business First Bancshares in the 4th quarter valued at about $94,000. Quantbot Technologies LP boosted its holdings in Business First Bancshares by 15.2% in the 1st quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 4,128 shares of the company's stock worth $101,000 after buying an additional 546 shares during the period. Virtus Investment Advisers Inc. purchased a new position in Business First Bancshares in the 4th quarter worth $128,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Business First Bancshares by 12,527.9% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,430 shares of the company's stock worth $132,000 after acquiring an additional 5,387 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 47.35% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Business First Bancshares

In related news, Director John P. Ducrest purchased 2,225 shares of Business First Bancshares stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 31st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $23.62 per share, for a total transaction of $52,554.50. Following the transaction, the director directly 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 filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 6.45% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BFST has been the topic of a number of research reports. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $30.00 target price on shares of Business First Bancshares in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. DA Davidson lifted their price target on Business First Bancshares from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $30.75.

Business First Bancshares Trading Down 0.2%

BFST traded down $0.04 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $25.12. 40,055 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 101,653. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $24.94 and its 200-day moving average price is $24.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $743.46 million, a P/E ratio of 9.98 and a beta of 0.85. Business First Bancshares, Inc. has a 1-year low of $20.07 and a 1-year high of $30.30.

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

Business First Bancshares Announces Dividend

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

Business First Bancshares 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.