Q3 Earnings Forecast for BFST Issued By DA Davidson

Key Points

• DA Davidson predicts that Business First Bancshares will earn $0.69 per share in Q3 2025, maintaining a "Buy" rating with a target price of $32.00.
• The company reported a Q2 EPS of $0.66, exceeding expectations of $0.65, with revenue of $103.01 million compared to estimates of $78.94 million.
• Business First Bancshares announced a quarterly dividend of $0.14 per share, equivalent to an annualized yield of 2.34%, with the ex-dividend date set for August 15th.

Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST - Free Report) - Equities research analysts at DA Davidson issued their Q3 2025 earnings per share estimates for shares of Business First Bancshares in a report issued on Wednesday, July 30th. DA Davidson analyst M. Navas expects that the company will post earnings of $0.69 per share for the quarter. DA Davidson currently has a "Buy" rating and a $32.00 target price on the stock. 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' FY2025 earnings at $2.75 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $3.20 EPS.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, July 28th. The company reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.01. Business First Bancshares had a return on equity of 11.50% and a net margin of 15.47%. The firm had revenue of $103.01 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $78.94 million.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on BFST. Raymond James Financial decreased 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. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $30.00 price target on shares of Business First Bancshares in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th.

Business First Bancshares Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of BFST stock traded up $0.16 on Thursday, reaching $23.08. 40,373 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 103,613. Business First Bancshares has a 52 week low of $20.07 and a 52 week high of $30.30. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $685.21 million, a PE ratio of 9.19 and a beta of 0.85. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $24.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $24.75.

Business First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, August 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Business First Bancshares's payout ratio is 22.31%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director John P. Ducrest bought 2,225 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 31st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $23.62 per share, with a total value of $52,554.50. Following the transaction, the director directly 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 SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Greg Robertson sold 1,086 shares of Business First Bancshares stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.72, for a total value of $25,759.92. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 69,235 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,642,254.20. This trade represents a 1.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 5.68% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Business First Bancshares by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 13,719 shares of the company's stock valued at $353,000 after acquiring an additional 492 shares during the period. Gator Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Business First Bancshares by 1.2% in the 1st 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 period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Business First Bancshares by 106.7% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,052 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 543 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in Business First Bancshares by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 43,328 shares of the company's stock worth $1,114,000 after buying an additional 545 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP grew its stake in Business First Bancshares by 15.2% during the 1st quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 4,128 shares of the company's stock worth $101,000 after buying an additional 546 shares during the last quarter. 47.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.