Weiss Ratings Reaffirms "Hold (C+)" Rating for Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST)

Key Points

• Weiss Ratings has reaffirmed a "Hold (C+)" rating for Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ: BFST), which has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $30.75.
• The company's stock recently traded at $25.01 and has shown strong performance, posting earnings of $0.72 per share for the latest quarter, exceeding expectations.
• Insider activity includes Director John P. Ducrest purchasing 2,225 shares, resulting in a 19.36% increase in his position, highlighting confidence in the company's future.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "hold (c+)" rating reiterated by equities researchers at Weiss Ratings in a research report issued on Friday,Weiss Ratings reports.

Several other research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $30.00 price target on shares of Business First Bancshares in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. DA Davidson upgraded shares of Business First Bancshares to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Business First Bancshares has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $30.75.

Business First Bancshares Stock Performance

Business First Bancshares stock traded up $1.61 on Friday, hitting $25.01. The company's stock had a trading volume of 183,357 shares, compared to its average volume of 101,500. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $24.16 and a 200-day moving average price of $24.08. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. Business First Bancshares has a one year low of $20.07 and a one year high of $30.30. The firm has a market cap of $740.30 million, a P/E ratio of 9.96 and a beta of 0.86.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The company reported $0.72 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.03. Business First Bancshares had a net margin of 15.47% and a return on equity of 11.21%. The business had revenue of $80.95 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $80.50 million. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Business First Bancshares will post 2.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Business First Bancshares

In other news, Director John P. Ducrest purchased 2,225 shares of Business First Bancshares stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 31st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $23.62 per share, for a total transaction of $52,554.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 13,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $323,971.92. This trade represents a 19.36% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 5.68% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Business First Bancshares

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC raised its stake in Business First Bancshares by 2.6% in the 2nd quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC now owns 17,751 shares of the company's stock valued at $438,000 after acquiring an additional 457 shares during the period. Gator Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Business First Bancshares by 1.2% in the first quarter. Gator Capital Management LLC now owns 42,804 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,042,000 after acquiring an additional 522 shares during the last quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. increased its stake in Business First Bancshares by 22.8% in the second quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 2,908 shares of the company's stock valued at $72,000 after acquiring an additional 540 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP increased its stake in Business First Bancshares by 15.2% in the first quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 4,128 shares of the company's stock valued at $101,000 after acquiring an additional 546 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake in Business First Bancshares by 4.5% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 14,343 shares of the company's stock valued at $349,000 after acquiring an additional 624 shares during the last quarter. 47.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Business First Bancshares Company 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.