BancFirst Co. (NASDAQ:BANF) Shares Sold by Northern Trust Corp

Northern Trust Corp lessened its stake in BancFirst Co. (NASDAQ:BANF - Free Report) by 2.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 308,761 shares of the bank's stock after selling 9,359 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp owned 0.93% of BancFirst worth $36,181,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of BancFirst by 155.3% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 314 shares of the bank's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of BancFirst by 779.4% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 554 shares of the bank's stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 491 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC increased its position in shares of BancFirst by 11.5% during the fourth quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 862 shares of the bank's stock worth $101,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in BancFirst by 85.6% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,162 shares of the bank's stock worth $136,000 after buying an additional 536 shares during the last quarter. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI boosted its stake in BancFirst by 12.4% during the fourth quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 1,684 shares of the bank's stock worth $197,000 after buying an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 51.72% of the company's stock.

BancFirst Stock Up 3.5%

NASDAQ BANF traded up $4.27 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $127.41. 123,014 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 102,905. The company has a 50 day moving average of $111.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $117.19. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current 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 firm has a market cap of $4.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.78 and a beta of 0.78.

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

BancFirst Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.44%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. BancFirst's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.84%.

Insider Buying and Selling at BancFirst

In related news, Director William Scott Martin sold 10,000 shares of BancFirst stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.13, for a total value of $1,191,300.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 214,499 shares in the company, valued at $25,553,265.87. The trade was a 4.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Darryl Schmidt sold 5,000 shares of BancFirst stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.06, for a total value of $610,300.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 43,564 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,317,421.84. This represents a 10.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 32.43% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com lowered BancFirst from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd.

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.