Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST - Free Report) - Analysts at DA Davidson issued their Q2 2025 earnings estimates for Business First Bancshares in a report released on Monday, April 28th. DA Davidson analyst M. Navas anticipates that the company will post earnings of $0.62 per share for the quarter. The consensus estimate for Business First Bancshares' current full-year earnings is $2.72 per share. DA Davidson also issued estimates for Business First Bancshares' FY2026 earnings at $3.05 EPS.
Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on BFST. Stephens decreased their target price on shares of Business First Bancshares from $34.00 to $32.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. Raymond James cut their target price on shares of Business First Bancshares from $30.00 to $28.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Hovde Group upgraded Business First Bancshares from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $31.50 to $33.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Business First Bancshares
Business First Bancshares Stock Up 2.6 %
BFST traded up $0.59 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $23.69. The company's stock had a trading volume of 126,314 shares, compared to its average volume of 89,574. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $700.56 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.48 and a beta of 0.75. The stock's 50-day moving average is $23.80 and its 200-day moving average is $25.81. Business First Bancshares has a 1 year low of $18.97 and a 1 year high of $30.30.
Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $79.21 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $77.54 million. Business First Bancshares had a return on equity of 11.88% and a net margin of 14.19%.
Business First Bancshares Announces Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, May 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Business First Bancshares's dividend payout ratio is presently 23.05%.
Insider Activity at Business First Bancshares
In other Business First Bancshares news, Director Rick D. Day purchased 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $25.46 per share, with a total value of $38,190.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 264,285 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,728,696.10. This trade represents a 0.57 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 6.45% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 106.7% during the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,052 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 543 shares in the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Business First Bancshares during the fourth quarter valued at $67,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Business First Bancshares in the fourth quarter valued at about $85,000. Quantbot Technologies LP increased its stake in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in shares of Business First Bancshares during the 4th quarter worth about $94,000. 47.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
About Business First Bancshares
(
Get 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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