What is DA Davidson's Forecast for BFST FY2026 Earnings?

Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST - Free Report) - Equities research analysts at DA Davidson increased their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Business First Bancshares in a report issued on Thursday, July 10th. DA Davidson analyst M. Navas now expects that the company will earn $3.10 per share for the year, up from their previous estimate of $3.00. DA Davidson currently has a "Buy" rating and a $31.00 target price on the stock. The consensus estimate for Business First Bancshares' current full-year earnings is $2.72 per share.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $0.65 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $79.21 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $77.54 million. Business First Bancshares had a return on equity of 11.49% and a net margin of 15.00%.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $30.00 price target on shares of Business First Bancshares in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Raymond James Financial cut their price target on Business First Bancshares from $30.00 to $28.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th.

Business First Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of BFST stock traded up $0.41 on Monday, hitting $26.16. 92,760 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 98,294. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $776.69 million, a PE ratio of 10.77 and a beta of 0.80. Business First Bancshares has a one year low of $20.07 and a one year high of $30.30. The firm's 50 day moving average is $24.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $24.72.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of Business First Bancshares by 32.8% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 121,344 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,119,000 after acquiring an additional 29,989 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Business First Bancshares by 13.2% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 222,158 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,709,000 after acquiring an additional 25,920 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Business First Bancshares by 19.7% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 538,402 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,837,000 after acquiring an additional 88,546 shares in the last quarter. Hartmann Taylor Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Business First Bancshares in the 1st quarter valued at about $816,000. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Business First Bancshares in the 4th quarter valued at about $294,000. Institutional investors own 47.35% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Business First Bancshares news, CFO Greg Robertson sold 1,086 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.72, for a total value of $25,759.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 69,235 shares in the company, valued at $1,642,254.20. This trade represents a 1.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 5.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Business First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, May 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were paid a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.14%. Business First Bancshares's dividend payout ratio is currently 23.05%.

About Business First Bancshares

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.