NASDAQ:BFST Business First Bancshares - BFST Stock Forecast, Price & News Adding Choose a watchlist: Watchlist Adding You have already added five stocks to your watchlist. Upgrade to MarketBeat Daily Premium to add more stocks to your watchlist. Adding Business First Bancshares, Inc. Please log in to your account or sign up in order to add this asset to your watchlist. $17.27 -0.08 (-0.46%) (As of 03/28/2023 12:00 AM ET) Add Compare Share Share Today's Range$17.14▼$17.5350-Day Range$16.70▼$21.3052-Week Range$16.45▼$25.16Volume72,480 shsAverage Volume105,410 shsMarket Capitalization$433.65 millionP/E Ratio7.51Dividend Yield2.78%Price Target$28.33 ProfileAnalyst RatingsChartCompetitorsDividendEarningsFinancialsInsider TradesInstitutional OwnershipHeadlinesSEC FilingsShort InterestSocial Media Business First Bancshares MarketRank™ ForecastAnalyst RatingModerate Buy2.67 Rating ScoreUpside/Downside64.1% Upside$28.33 Price TargetShort InterestHealthy1.11% of Shares Sold ShortDividend StrengthModerateBased on Four FactorsSustainabilityN/ANews Sentiment0.74Based on 2 Articles This WeekInsider TradingN/AProj. Earnings Growth7.11%From $2.39 to $2.56 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.2.71 out of 5 starsFinance Sector312th out of 891 stocksState Commercial Banks Industry82nd out of 188 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 $28.33, Business First Bancshares has a forecasted upside of 64.1% from its current price of $17.27.Amount of Analyst CoverageBusiness First Bancshares has only been the subject of 1 research reports in the past 90 days. Previous Next 3.0 Short Interest Percentage of Shares Shorted1.11% 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 2.8, 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 13.82%, indicating that investor sentiment is decreasing significantly. Previous Next 2.5 Dividend Strength Dividend YieldBusiness First Bancshares pays a meaningful dividend of 2.84%, 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 20.87%. 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 18.75% 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 2.6 News and Social Media Coverage News SentimentBusiness First Bancshares has a news sentiment score of 0.74. 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 0.57 average news sentiment score of Finance companies.News Coverage This WeekMarketBeat has tracked 2 news articles for Business First Bancshares this week, compared to 1 article on an average week. Previous Next 0.0 Company Ownership Insider Buying vs. Insider SellingIn the past three months, Business First Bancshares insiders have not sold or bought any company stock.Percentage Held by InsidersOnly 7.00% 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 3.1 Earnings and Valuation Earnings GrowthEarnings for Business First Bancshares are expected to grow by 7.11% in the coming year, from $2.39 to $2.56 per share.Price to Earnings Ratio vs. the MarketThe P/E ratio of Business First Bancshares is 7.51, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the market average P/E ratio of about 127.89.Price to Earnings Ratio vs. SectorThe P/E ratio of Business First Bancshares is 7.51, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the Finance sector average P/E ratio of about 144.21.Price to Book Value per Share RatioBusiness First Bancshares has a P/B Ratio of 0.85. 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 HeadlinesMarch 11, 2023 | finance.yahoo.comBusiness First Bancshares, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:BFST) market cap dropped US$62m last week; individual investors who hold 50% were hit as were institutionsMarch 11, 2023 | benzinga.comBusiness First Bancshares Stock (NASDAQ:BFST), DividendsMarch 29, 2023 | Weiss Ratings (Ad)Fed's Shocking New Plan to Control Your MoneyThe Federal Reserve has a disturbing plan that is getting ready to roll out as soon as May. This is a lot more than printing trillions of dollars or manipulating interest rates. It's about every checking account, every purchase and every money transfer in America — including yours and mine. February 17, 2023 | benzinga.comShort Volatility Alert: Business First BancsharesJanuary 29, 2023 | finance.yahoo.comBusiness First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) Will Pay A Dividend Of $0.12January 27, 2023 | finance.yahoo.comBusiness First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) Q4 2022 Earnings Call TranscriptJanuary 25, 2023 | msn.comBusiness First Bancshares Q4 Non-GAAP EPS, revenue beatsJanuary 25, 2023 | finance.yahoo.comBusiness First Bancshares, Inc., Announces Financial Results for Fiscal Year 2022 and Q4 2022March 29, 2023 | Weiss Ratings (Ad)Fed's Shocking New Plan to Control Your MoneyThe Federal Reserve has a disturbing plan that is getting ready to roll out as soon as May. This is a lot more than printing trillions of dollars or manipulating interest rates. It's about every checking account, every purchase and every money transfer in America — including yours and mine. January 24, 2023 | msn.comEarnings Preview: Business First BancsharesJanuary 19, 2023 | finance.yahoo.comb1BANK Announces Plans to Relocate and Expand Downtown Lake Charles Banking CenterJanuary 5, 2023 | msn.comBusiness First, CrossFirst, Veritex cut at RayJay as rising deposit betas loomNovember 9, 2022 | finance.yahoo.comBusiness First Bancshares Third Quarter 2022 Earnings: Beats ExpectationsOctober 30, 2022 | finance.yahoo.comBusiness First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) Has Announced A Dividend Of $0.12October 29, 2022 | seekingalpha.comBusiness First Bancshares, Inc. (BFST) Q3 2022 Earnings Call TranscriptOctober 26, 2022 | msn.comRecap: Business First Bancshares Q3 EarningsOctober 26, 2022 | finance.yahoo.comBusiness First (BFST) Tops Q3 Earnings and Revenue EstimatesOctober 26, 2022 | finance.yahoo.comBusiness First Bancshares, Inc., Announces Financial Results for Q3 2022October 25, 2022 | msn.comEarnings Preview For Business First BancsharesOctober 18, 2022 | finance.yahoo.comBusiness First (BFST) Stock Jumps 5.6%: Will It Continue to Soar?October 13, 2022 | finance.yahoo.comBusiness First (BFST) Earnings Expected to Grow: What to Know Ahead of Q3 ReleaseOctober 11, 2022 | marketwatch.comProsperity Bancshares to Buy Two Texas Banks for $570 Million >PBOctober 7, 2022 | nasdaq.comBusiness First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) most popular amongst individual investors who own 59% of the shares, institutions hold 34%October 6, 2022 | morningstar.comFirst Citizens BancShares Inc Class ASeptember 28, 2022 | finance.yahoo.comInvestors in Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) have unfortunately lost 5.8% over the last three yearsSeptember 1, 2022 | finance.yahoo.comBusiness First Bancshares, Inc., Raises $72.0 Million in Preferred EquityJuly 30, 2022 | finance.yahoo.comBusiness First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) Has Affirmed Its Dividend Of $0.12See More Headlines View Price History Chart DataSkip Price History Chart 30 days | 90 days | 365 days | Advanced Chart 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 Company Calendar Last Earnings1/25/2023Ex-Dividend for 2/28 Dividend2/14/2023Dividend Payable2/28/2023Today3/28/2023Next Earnings (Estimated)4/25/2023Fiscal 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$28.33 High Stock Price Forecast$30.00 Low Stock Price Forecast$27.00 Forecasted Upside/Downside+64.1%Consensus RatingModerate Buy Rating Score (0-4)2.67 Research Coverage3 Analysts Profitability EPS (Most Recent Fiscal Year)$2.30 Trailing P/E Ratio7.51 Forward P/E Ratio7.23 P/E GrowthN/ANet Income$54.26 million Net Margins20.44% Pretax Margin25.84% Return on Equity12.77% Return on Assets1.04% Debt Debt-to-Equity Ratio1.03 Current Ratio0.98 Quick Ratio0.98 Sales & Book Value Annual Sales$265.42 million Price / Sales1.63 Cash Flow$2.51 per share Price / Cash Flow6.87 Book Value$20.26 per share Price / Book0.85Miscellaneous Outstanding Shares25,110,000Free Float23,352,000Market Cap$433.65 million OptionableNot Optionable Beta0.81 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 CompetitorsFirst Community BanksharesNASDAQ:FCBCMetroCity BanksharesNASDAQ:MCBSFlushing FinancialNASDAQ:FFICMid Penn BancorpNASDAQ:MPBFirst FoundationNASDAQ:FFWMView All CompetitorsInsiders & InstitutionsMetLife Investment Management LLCBought 1,306 shares on 3/23/2023Ownership: 0.047%Alliancebernstein L.P.Bought 215,100 shares on 2/16/2023Ownership: 0.857%Morgan StanleyBought 6,145 shares on 2/15/2023Ownership: 0.092%MetLife Investment Management LLCBought 1,306 shares on 2/15/2023Ownership: 0.047%Metropolitan Life Insurance Co NYBought 498 shares on 2/15/2023Ownership: 0.006%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 twelve-month price targets for Business First Bancshares' stock. Their BFST share price forecasts range from $27.00 to $30.00. On average, they expect the company's share price to reach $28.33 in the next twelve months. This suggests a possible upside of 64.1% 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 the year. Since then, BFST shares have decreased by 22.0% and is now trading at $17.27. View the best growth stocks for 2023 here. Are investors shorting Business First Bancshares? Business First Bancshares saw a increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totaling 277,500 shares, an increase of 13.8% from the February 28th total of 243,800 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 99,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.8 days. View Business First Bancshares' Short Interest. When is Business First Bancshares' next earnings date? The company is scheduled to release its next quarterly earnings announcement on Tuesday, April 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 Wednesday, January, 25th. The company reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $64.34 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $61.95 million. Business First Bancshares had a trailing twelve-month return on equity of 12.77% and a net margin of 20.44%. How often does Business First Bancshares pay dividends? What is the dividend yield for Business First Bancshares? Business First Bancshares announced a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, January 25th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.12 per share on Tuesday, February 28th. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.78%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 14th. 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 AdvisorShares Dorsey Wright Micro-Cap ETF (DWMC), First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund (QABA), Janus Henderson Small Cap Growth Alpha ETF (JSML) and Dimensional US Small Cap Value ETF (DFSV), 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 2.84%. The dividend payout ratio is 20.87%. This payout ratio is at a healthy, sustainable level, below 75%. Based on earnings estimates, BFST will have a dividend payout ratio of 18.75% 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 institutional and retail investors. Top institutional shareholders include The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company (2.76%), Banc Funds Co. LLC (1.90%), Geode Capital Management LLC (1.76%), Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC (1.55%), Dimensional Fund Advisors LP (1.30%) and JPMorgan Chase & Co. (1.06%). Insiders that own company stock include Alicia Robertson, Andrew D Mclindon, Carol Calkins, Donald A Hingle II, Drew C Brees, James J Buquet III, John P Ducrest, Keith Alexis Tillage, Mark P Folse, Rick D Day, Robert S Jr Greer, Steven Gerard White and Warren Mcdonald. 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 $17.27. How much money does Business First Bancshares make? Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) has a market capitalization of $433.65 million and generates $265.42 million in revenue each year. The company earns $54.26 million in net income (profit) each year or $2.30 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 3/29/2023 by MarketBeat.com Staff Get 30 Days of MarketBeat All Access Free Sign up for MarketBeat All Access to gain access to MarketBeat's full suite of research tools: Best-in-Class Portfolio Monitoring View the latest news, buy/sell ratings, SEC filings and insider transactions for your stocks. Compare your portfolio performance to leading indices and get personalized stock ideas based on your portfolio. Stock Ideas and Recommendations Get daily stock ideas from top-performing Wall Street analysts. Get short term trading ideas from the MarketBeat Idea Engine. View which stocks are hot on social media with MarketBeat's trending stocks report. Advanced Stock Screeners and Research Tools Identify stocks that meet your criteria using seven unique stock screeners. See what's happening in the market right now with MarketBeat's real-time news feed. 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