Kestra Advisory Services LLC Invests $1.28 Million in Business First Bancshares, Inc. $BFST

Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 47,399 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,282,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC owned about 0.14% of Business First Bancshares as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of BFST. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Business First Bancshares by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,591,098 shares of the company's stock worth $37,566,000 after purchasing an additional 17,690 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Business First Bancshares by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,083,887 shares of the company's stock worth $28,333,000 after buying an additional 59,639 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP boosted its holdings in shares of Business First Bancshares by 27.0% in the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 823,364 shares of the company's stock worth $21,523,000 after buying an additional 175,284 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Business First Bancshares by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 731,206 shares of the company's stock worth $19,119,000 after buying an additional 14,576 shares during the period. Finally, Mendon Capital Advisors Corp increased its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 5.7% in the second quarter. Mendon Capital Advisors Corp now owns 280,000 shares of the company's stock worth $6,902,000 after acquiring an additional 15,000 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 47.35% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Business First Bancshares

In related news, Director George W. Cummings III sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.54, for a total transaction of $428,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 281,180 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,024,877.20. This trade represents a 5.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders have sold 36,595 shares of company stock valued at $1,031,732 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 5.67% of the company's stock.

Business First Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of BFST opened at $30.49 on Thursday. The company's 50 day moving average price is $29.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $28.18. Business First Bancshares, Inc. has a 52 week low of $22.56 and a 52 week high of $31.57. The company has a market capitalization of $996.41 million, a PE ratio of 10.81 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $89.25 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $90.99 million. Business First Bancshares had a net margin of 17.02% and a return on equity of 11.10%. Research analysts expect that Business First Bancshares, Inc. will post 3.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on BFST. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Business First Bancshares in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Stephens set a $33.00 price objective on shares of Business First Bancshares in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, DA Davidson reissued a "buy" rating and set a $33.00 target price on shares of Business First Bancshares in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $32.33.

Business First Bancshares Profile

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.

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