Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) CFO Greg Robertson Sells 1,400 Shares of Stock

Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) CFO Greg Robertson sold 1,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.41, for a total value of $36,974.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 67,835 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,791,522.35. This represents a 2.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Business First Bancshares Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of BFST stock opened at $26.26 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $777.56 million, a P/E ratio of 10.14 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The business’s 50 day moving average is $24.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $24.47. Business First Bancshares, Inc. has a twelve month low of $20.07 and a twelve month high of $29.03.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The company reported $0.72 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.03. Business First Bancshares had a return on equity of 11.08% and a net margin of 15.94%.The firm had revenue of $80.95 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $80.50 million. Equities analysts forecast that Business First Bancshares, Inc. will post 2.72 EPS for the current year.

Business First Bancshares Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, November 30th. Stockholders of record on Saturday, November 15th were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. This is a positive change from Business First Bancshares’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 14th. Business First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.17%.

Business First Bancshares declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, October 28th that permits the company to buyback $30.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 4.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on BFST. DA Davidson assumed coverage on Business First Bancshares in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $32.00 price objective on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Business First Bancshares in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $30.75.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Business First Bancshares

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd raised its holdings in Business First Bancshares by 3.2% during the third quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd now owns 14,510 shares of the company’s stock worth $343,000 after purchasing an additional 454 shares during the last quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC increased its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 2.6% in the second quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC now owns 17,751 shares of the company’s stock valued at $438,000 after buying an additional 457 shares in the last quarter. Gator Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Business First Bancshares by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Gator Capital Management LLC now owns 42,804 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,042,000 after purchasing an additional 522 shares in the last quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. raised its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 22.8% during the 2nd quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 2,908 shares of the company’s stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 540 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP lifted its stake in Business First Bancshares by 15.2% in the 1st quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 4,128 shares of the company’s stock valued at $101,000 after buying an additional 546 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 47.35% of the company’s stock.

Business First Bancshares Company Profile

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.