Russell Investments Group Ltd. decreased its stake in shares of Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST - Free Report) by 20.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 197,698 shares of the company's stock after selling 50,284 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 0.67% of Business First Bancshares worth $5,081,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in BFST. Quantbot Technologies LP grew its stake in Business First Bancshares by 37.5% during the fourth quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 3,582 shares of the company's stock worth $92,000 after purchasing an additional 976 shares during the period. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 133,761 shares of the company's stock worth $3,438,000 after purchasing an additional 1,099 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its stake in shares of Business First Bancshares by 27.3% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 14,352 shares of the company's stock valued at $369,000 after buying an additional 3,081 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 78,812 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,025,000 after buying an additional 3,809 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in Business First Bancshares by 81.8% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 8,631 shares of the company's stock valued at $222,000 after acquiring an additional 3,883 shares in the last quarter. 47.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Business First Bancshares Stock Performance
NASDAQ:BFST traded up $0.29 during trading on Friday, reaching $22.73. The company's stock had a trading volume of 101,440 shares, compared to its average volume of 86,209. Business First Bancshares, Inc. has a 12 month low of $18.97 and a 12 month high of $30.30. The firm has a market cap of $671.72 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.06 and a beta of 0.75. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $24.58 and a 200-day moving average of $25.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 0.99.
Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The company reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.49 by $0.17. Business First Bancshares had a net margin of 14.19% and a return on equity of 11.88%. Research analysts expect that Business First Bancshares, Inc. will post 2.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Business First Bancshares Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Saturday, February 15th were given a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.46%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Business First Bancshares's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.78%.
Insider Activity at Business First Bancshares
In other news, Director Rick D. Day acquired 1,500 shares of Business First Bancshares stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was bought at an average price of $25.46 per share, with a total value of $38,190.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 264,285 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,728,696.10. The trade was a 0.57 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 6.45% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Separately, Hovde Group upgraded shares of Business First Bancshares from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their target price for the company from $31.50 to $33.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th.
Get Our Latest Stock Report on Business First Bancshares
About Business First Bancshares
(
Free Report)
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.
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