Bank First National (NASDAQ:BFC) Reaches New 52-Week High – Here’s Why

Bank First National Corporation (NASDAQ:BFC) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $159.10 and last traded at $156.88, with a volume of 92824 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $158.00.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BFC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Bank First National from $157.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Weiss Ratings raised Bank First National from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Bank First National from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 16th. Hovde Group raised their price objective on Bank First National from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Bank First National from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $163.00.

Bank First National Price Performance

The firm has a 50-day moving average of $149.57 and a 200 day moving average of $143.92. The company has a market capitalization of $1.68 billion, a PE ratio of 19.64 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.93.

Bank First National (NASDAQ:BFC) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The company reported $2.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $65.03 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $65.25 million. Bank First National had a return on equity of 12.48% and a net margin of 27.70%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Bank First National Corporation will post 9.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bank First National Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 23rd. This is a positive change from Bank First National’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Bank First National’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.61%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bank First National

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in Bank First National by 920.0% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 204 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Bank First National during the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in shares of Bank First National by 95.5% in the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 305 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Bank First National by 406.8% in the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 370 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Bank First National in the third quarter worth $94,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 29.95% of the company’s stock.

Bank First National Company Profile

Bank First National Corporation (NASDAQ: BFC) is the bank holding company for Bank First National, a community bank headquartered in Princeton, Wisconsin. The company offers a comprehensive suite of financial services designed to meet the needs of individuals, families, small businesses and agricultural clients. Through its branch network and digital channels, Bank First National provides deposit accounts, consumer and commercial lending, mortgage financing and treasury management solutions.

The bank’s core deposit products include checking and savings accounts, money market funds and certificates of deposit, complemented by online and mobile banking platforms that enable customers to manage their finances remotely.