NASDAQ:BFST Business First Bancshares (BFST) Stock Forecast, Price & News $15.87 -0.22 (-1.37%) (As of 06/9/2023 ET) Add Compare Share Share Today's Range$15.82▼$16.2350-Day Range$13.66▼$17.0252-Week Range$13.05▼$25.03Volume32,424 shsAverage Volume63,995 shsMarket Capitalization$401.83 millionP/E Ratio6.53Dividend Yield3.02%Price Target$25.67 ProfileProfileAnalyst RatingsChartCompetitorsDividendEarningsFinancialsInsider TradesInstitutional OwnershipHeadlinesSEC FilingsShort InterestSocial MediaProfileAnalyst RatingsChartCompetitorsDividendEarningsFinancialsInsider TradesInstitutional OwnershipHeadlinesSEC FilingsShort InterestSocial Media Business First Bancshares MarketRank™ ForecastAnalyst RatingModerate Buy2.67 Rating ScoreUpside/Downside61.7% Upside$25.67 Price TargetShort InterestHealthy1.39% of Shares Sold ShortDividend StrengthModerateBased on Four FactorsSustainabilityN/ANews Sentiment0.99Based on 4 Articles This WeekInsider TradingAcquiring Shares$373,385 Bought Last QuarterProj. Earnings Growth1.40%From $2.14 to $2.17 Per ShareSee Full Details Hide Full Details Overall MarketRank™MarketRank is calculated as an average of available category scores, with extra weight given to analysis and valuation.2.77 out of 5 starsFinance Sector192nd out of 835 stocksState Commercial Banks Industry61st out of 176 stocks 3.3 Analyst's Opinion Consensus RatingBusiness First Bancshares has received a consensus rating of Buy. The company's average rating score is 2.67, and is based on 2 buy ratings, 1 hold rating, and no sell ratings.Price Target Upside/DownsideAccording to analysts' consensus price target of $25.67, Business First Bancshares has a forecasted upside of 61.7% from its current price of $15.87.Amount of Analyst CoverageBusiness First Bancshares has received no research coverage in the past 90 days. Previous Next 3.0 Short Interest Percentage of Shares Shorted1.39% of the outstanding shares of Business First Bancshares have been sold short.Short Interest Ratio / Days to CoverBusiness First Bancshares has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 3.7, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.Change versus previous monthShort interest in Business First Bancshares has recently increased by 18.59%, indicating that investor sentiment is decreasing significantly. Previous Next 2.5 Dividend Strength Dividend YieldBusiness First Bancshares pays a meaningful dividend of 2.98%, higher than the bottom 25% of all stocks that pay dividends.Dividend GrowthBusiness First Bancshares does not have a long track record of dividend growth.Dividend CoverageThe dividend payout ratio of Business First Bancshares is 19.75%. This payout ratio is at a healthy, sustainable level, below 75%.Dividend SustainabilityBased on earnings estimates, Business First Bancshares will have a dividend payout ratio of 22.12% next year. This indicates that Business First Bancshares will be able to sustain or increase its dividend. Previous Next N/A Sustainability and ESG Overall ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) ScoreThere is no current Upright™ data available for BFST. Previous Next 2.8 News and Social Media Coverage News SentimentBusiness First Bancshares has a news sentiment score of 0.99. This score is calculated as an average of sentiment of articles about the company over the last seven days and ranges from 2 (good news) to -2 (bad news). This is a higher news sentiment than the 0.87 average news sentiment score of Finance companies.News Coverage This WeekMarketBeat has tracked 4 news articles for Business First Bancshares this week, compared to 2 articles on an average week.MarketBeat FollowsOnly 1 people have added Business First Bancshares to their MarketBeat watchlist in the last 30 days. This is a decrease of -50% compared to the previous 30 days. Previous Next 1.7 Company Ownership Insider Buying vs. Insider SellingIn the past three months, Business First Bancshares insiders have bought more of their company's stock than they have sold. Specifically, they have bought $373,385.00 in company stock and sold $0.00 in company stock.Percentage Held by InsidersOnly 7.60% of the stock of Business First Bancshares is held by insiders.Percentage Held by InstitutionsOnly 30.36% of the stock of Business First Bancshares is held by institutions. Previous Next 2.5 Earnings and Valuation Earnings GrowthEarnings for Business First Bancshares are expected to grow by 1.40% in the coming year, from $2.14 to $2.17 per share.Price to Earnings Ratio vs. the MarketThe P/E ratio of Business First Bancshares is 6.53, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the market average P/E ratio of about 135.01.Price to Earnings Ratio vs. SectorThe P/E ratio of Business First Bancshares is 6.53, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the Finance sector average P/E ratio of about 147.25.Price to Book Value per Share RatioBusiness First Bancshares has a P/B Ratio of 0.78. P/B Ratios below 1 indicate that a company could be undervalued with respect to its assets and liabilities. Previous Next See Top Rated MarketRank™ Stocks Here About Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) StockBusiness First Bancshares, Inc. is a financial holding company, which engages in the provision of banking products and services through its subsidiary. It also offers commercial and personal banking, treasury management, and wealth solutions services. The company was founded on July 20, 2006 and is headquartered in Baton Rouge, LA.Read More Receive BFST Stock News and Ratings via Email Sign-up to receive the latest news and ratings for Business First Bancshares and its competitors with MarketBeat's FREE daily newsletter. Email Address BFST Stock News HeadlinesMay 23, 2023 | insidertrades.com2 Cheap Stocks And 1 Cheap Sector The Insiders Are Buying (BFST)June 7, 2023 | finance.yahoo.comBFST - Business First Bancshares, Inc.June 10, 2023 | Vantage Point (Ad)Unlock Profit Potential: Find Hidden Trade Opportunities Using A.I.There’s a tool that scans and picks the best stocks…how you approach the trades is up to you. But when you’re forecasting 1 – 3 days in advance, it’s not really a guessing game. Stop guessing and start predicting to add consistency to your trades… no matter what happens in the market. June 4, 2023 | americanbankingnews.comRick D. Day Acquires 2,000 Shares of Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) StockMay 27, 2023 | americanbankingnews.comContrasting Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) and SVB Financial Group (NASDAQ:SIVBQ)May 18, 2023 | americanbankingnews.comBusiness First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) Short Interest Down 5.3% in AprilMay 14, 2023 | americanbankingnews.comBusiness First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) CFO Greg Robertson Acquires 6,775 SharesMay 11, 2023 | americanbankingnews.comBusiness First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) Plans Quarterly Dividend of $0.12June 10, 2023 | Behind the Markets (Ad)Laser breakthrough could send stock soaring 2,467%Laser breakthrough could send stock soaring 2,476% Whenever the military develops a breakthrough technology, timely investors could see groundbreaking returns. General Dynamics returned 8,990%... Boeing soared 4,238%... L3Harris shot up 1,628%...May 10, 2023 | americanbankingnews.comBusiness First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) Director Steven Gerard White Buys 1,500 SharesMay 7, 2023 | finance.yahoo.comWhy You Might Be Interested In Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) For Its Upcoming DividendMay 7, 2023 | americanbankingnews.comAndrew D. Mclindon Acquires 1,000 Shares of Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) StockMay 7, 2023 | americanbankingnews.comKenneth W. Smith Purchases 3,650 Shares of Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) StockMay 6, 2023 | finance.yahoo.comRicky Day Bought 2.4% More Shares In Business First Bancshares \May 6, 2023 | americanbankingnews.comBrokers Set Expectations for Business First Bancshares, Inc.'s Q2 2023 Earnings (NASDAQ:BFST)May 3, 2023 | markets.businessinsider.comAnalysts Offer Insights on Financial Companies: Midland States Bancrop (MSBI), Creative Media (CMCT) and Business First Bancshares (BFST)May 2, 2023 | finance.yahoo.comBusiness First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) Is Due To Pay A Dividend Of $0.12April 29, 2023 | americanbankingnews.comBusiness First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) Price Target Cut to $19.00 by Analysts at Piper SandlerApril 29, 2023 | msn.comBusiness First Bancshares (BFST) Declares $0.12 DividendApril 27, 2023 | finance.yahoo.comBusiness First Bancshares, Inc., Announces Financial Results for Q1 2023April 26, 2023 | benzinga.comBusiness First Bancshares Earnings PreviewApril 26, 2023 | americanbankingnews.comBusiness First Bancshares (BFST) to Release Earnings on ThursdayApril 25, 2023 | americanbankingnews.comBusiness First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) vs. Citizens Financial Services (NASDAQ:CZFS) Financial ComparisonApril 17, 2023 | msn.comServisFirst Bancshares (SFBS) Q1 Earnings Beat EstimatesApril 16, 2023 | americanbankingnews.comBusiness First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) vs. Cathay General Bancorp (NASDAQ:CATY) Financial ReviewApril 13, 2023 | finance.yahoo.comShareholders in Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) are in the red if they invested five years agoApril 10, 2023 | finance.yahoo.comBusiness First Bancshares, Inc. Announces First Quarter 2023 Earnings Release Date and Conference CallSee More Headlines BFST Price History View Price History Chart DataSkip Price History Chart 30 days | 90 days | 365 days | Advanced Chart BFST Company Calendar Last Earnings4/27/2023Ex-Dividend for 5/31 Dividend5/12/2023Dividend Payable5/31/2023Today6/10/2023Next Earnings (Estimated)7/25/2023Fiscal Year End12/31/2023Get Stock AlertsIndustry, Sector and Symbol Stock ExchangeNASDAQ Industry State commercial banks Sub-IndustryN/A SectorFinance Current SymbolNASDAQ:BFST CUSIPN/A CIK1624322 Webwww.b1bank.com Phone(225) 248-7600Fax225-248-7650Employees648Year FoundedN/APrice Target and Rating Average Stock Price Forecast$25.67 High Stock Price Forecast$30.00 Low Stock Price Forecast$19.00 Forecasted Upside/Downside+61.7%Consensus RatingModerate Buy Rating Score (0-4)2.67 Research Coverage3 Analysts Profitability EPS (Most Recent Fiscal Year)$2.43 Trailing P/E Ratio6.53 Forward P/E Ratio7.42 P/E GrowthN/ANet Income$54.26 million Net Margins19.96% Pretax Margin25.32% Return on Equity13.32% Return on Assets1.08% Debt Debt-to-Equity Ratio1.56 Current Ratio1.04 Quick Ratio1.04 Sales & Book Value Annual Sales$265.42 million Price / Sales1.51 Cash Flow$2.43 per share Price / Cash Flow6.53 Book Value$20.26 per share Price / Book0.78Miscellaneous Outstanding Shares25,320,000Free Float23,396,000Market Cap$401.83 million OptionableNot Optionable Beta0.79 Key ExecutivesDavid R. MelvillePresident, Chief Executive Officer & DirectorKeith MansfieldChief Operating Officer & Executive Vice PresidentGregory RobertsonChief Financial Officer & TreasurerPhilip JordanChief Banking Officer & Executive Vice PresidentMimi Singer LeeChief Human Resources Officer & Executive VPKey CompetitorsFlushing FinancialNASDAQ:FFICSouth Plains FinancialNASDAQ:SPFIIndependent BankNASDAQ:IBCPFirst FinancialNASDAQ:THFFCNB FinancialNASDAQ:CCNEView All CompetitorsInsiders & InstitutionsRick D DayBought 2,000 shares on 5/31/2023Total: $29,200.00 ($14.60/share)Royce & Associates LPBought 120,000 shares on 5/23/2023Ownership: 0.474%JPMorgan Chase & Co.Bought 100,277 shares on 5/18/2023Ownership: 1.449%New York State Common Retirement FundSold 2,370 shares on 5/18/2023Ownership: 0.061%Thrivent Financial for LutheransBought 12,073 shares on 5/17/2023Ownership: 0.048%View All Insider TransactionsView All Institutional Transactions BFST Stock - Frequently Asked Questions Should I buy or sell Business First Bancshares stock right now? 3 Wall Street research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Business First Bancshares in the last year. There are currently 1 hold rating and 2 buy ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street research analysts is that investors should "buy" BFST shares. View BFST analyst ratings or view top-rated stocks. What is Business First Bancshares' stock price forecast for 2023? 3 Wall Street analysts have issued 12-month price targets for Business First Bancshares' shares. Their BFST share price forecasts range from $19.00 to $30.00. On average, they expect the company's share price to reach $25.67 in the next year. This suggests a possible upside of 61.7% from the stock's current price. View analysts price targets for BFST or view top-rated stocks among Wall Street analysts. How have BFST shares performed in 2023? Business First Bancshares' stock was trading at $22.14 at the beginning of 2023. Since then, BFST stock has decreased by 28.3% and is now trading at $15.87. View the best growth stocks for 2023 here. When is Business First Bancshares' next earnings date? The company is scheduled to release its next quarterly earnings announcement on Tuesday, July 25th 2023. View our BFST earnings forecast. How were Business First Bancshares' earnings last quarter? Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April, 27th. The company reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $61.14 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $61.34 million. Business First Bancshares had a net margin of 19.96% and a trailing twelve-month return on equity of 13.32%. How often does Business First Bancshares pay dividends? What is the dividend yield for Business First Bancshares? Business First Bancshares declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, April 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.12 per share on Wednesday, May 31st. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.02%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 12th. Read our dividend analysis for BFST. What ETFs hold Business First Bancshares' stock? ETFs with the largest weight of Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) stock in their portfolio include SPDR SSGA US Small Cap Low Volatility Index ETF (SMLV), First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund (QABA), Janus Henderson Small Cap Growth Alpha ETF (JSML). Is Business First Bancshares a good dividend stock? Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) pays an annual dividend of $0.48 per share and currently has a dividend yield of 2.98%. The dividend payout ratio is 19.75%. This payout ratio is at a healthy, sustainable level, below 75%. Based on earnings estimates, BFST will have a dividend payout ratio of 22.12% next year. This indicates that the company will be able to sustain or increase its dividend. Read our dividend analysis for BFST. What other stocks do shareholders of Business First Bancshares own? Based on aggregate information from My MarketBeat watchlists, some companies that other Business First Bancshares investors own include AbbVie (ABBV), British American Tobacco (BTI), Chatham Lodging Trust (CLDT), Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ), Brinker International (EAT), Eastman Chemical (EMN), Enbridge (ENB), Enterprise Products Partners (EPD), Huntington Bancshares (HBAN) and Harley-Davidson (HOG). What is Business First Bancshares' stock symbol? Business First Bancshares trades on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol "BFST." Who are Business First Bancshares' major shareholders? Business First Bancshares' stock is owned by a variety of retail and institutional investors. Top institutional investors include BlackRock Inc. (8.18%), Geode Capital Management LLC (1.81%), State Street Corp (1.80%), Dimensional Fund Advisors LP (1.73%), JPMorgan Chase & Co. (1.45%) and Ranger Investment Management L.P. (1.21%). Insiders that own company stock include Alicia Robertson, Andrew D Mclindon, Carol Calkins, Donald A Hingle II, Drew C Brees, Edgar R Smith III, Greg Robertson, James J Buquet III, John P Ducrest, Kathryn Manning, Keith Alexis Tillage, Kenneth W Smith, Mark P Folse, Rick D Day, Robert S Jr Greer, Steven Gerard White, Warren Mcdonald and William K Hood. View institutional ownership trends. How do I buy shares of Business First Bancshares? Shares of BFST stock can be purchased through any online brokerage account. Popular online brokerages with access to the U.S. stock market include WeBull, Vanguard Brokerage Services, TD Ameritrade, E*TRADE, Robinhood, Fidelity, and Charles Schwab. Compare Top Brokerages Here. What is Business First Bancshares' stock price today? One share of BFST stock can currently be purchased for approximately $15.87. How much money does Business First Bancshares make? Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) has a market capitalization of $401.83 million and generates $265.42 million in revenue each year. The company earns $54.26 million in net income (profit) each year or $2.43 on an earnings per share basis. How many employees does Business First Bancshares have? The company employs 648 workers across the globe. How can I contact Business First Bancshares? Business First Bancshares' mailing address is 500 LAUREL STREET SUITE 101, BATON ROUGE LA, 70801. The official website for the company is www.b1bank.com. The company can be reached via phone at (225) 248-7600 or via fax at 225-248-7650. This page (NASDAQ:BFST) was last updated on 6/10/2023 by MarketBeat.com Staff Adding Choose a watchlist: Watchlist Adding You have already added five stocks to your watchlist. Upgrade to MarketBeat All Access to add more stocks to your watchlist. Adding Business First Bancshares, Inc. 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