Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) EVP Donald Chad Carter Sells 3,778 Shares

Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) EVP Donald Chad Carter sold 3,778 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.27, for a total value of $103,026.06. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 13,863 shares in the company, valued at $378,044.01. This represents a 21.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Business First Bancshares Trading Up 2.0%

Business First Bancshares stock opened at $28.17 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $26.91 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $25.27. Business First Bancshares, Inc. has a 52-week low of $20.07 and a 52-week high of $28.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $834.25 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.10 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $69.44 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $81.41 million. Business First Bancshares had a return on equity of 11.41% and a net margin of 17.01%. Sell-side analysts expect that Business First Bancshares, Inc. will post 2.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Business First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Sunday, February 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. Business First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.51%.

Business First Bancshares announced that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, October 28th that authorizes the company to buyback $30.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 4.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Business First Bancshares in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Stephens lifted their price objective on shares of Business First Bancshares from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Raymond James Financial lifted their target price on Business First Bancshares from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, DA Davidson boosted their price target on shares of Business First Bancshares from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $33.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. State of Alaska Department of Revenue bought a new position in Business First Bancshares during the third quarter worth $28,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp bought a new stake in Business First Bancshares in the third quarter valued at $29,000. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Business First Bancshares in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. FWL Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Business First Bancshares during the third quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, CWM LLC grew its position in Business First Bancshares by 160.2% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,469 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 1,520 shares during the last quarter. 47.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Business First Bancshares Company Profile

Business First Bancshares, Inc is the bank holding company for Business First Bank, a regional community bank headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, the company provides a full suite of commercial and retail banking services to small and medium-sized businesses, professionals and individual consumers. Business First Bancshares operates under a community-focused model, emphasizing personalized service, local decision-making and relationship banking.

The company’s primary business activities include commercial lending, treasury and cash management, and deposit services.