Rolfe H. Jr. Mccollister Buys 680 Shares of Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) Stock

Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) Director Rolfe H. Jr. Mccollister acquired 680 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 6th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $23.40 per share, for a total transaction of $15,912.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 92,960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,175,264. This trade represents a 0.74% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Business First Bancshares Stock Performance

NASDAQ:BFST traded up $0.17 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $23.88. 71,695 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 91,975. The stock has a market capitalization of $709.12 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.57 and a beta of 0.81. Business First Bancshares, Inc. has a 52-week low of $18.97 and a 52-week high of $30.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $23.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $25.24.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $79.21 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $77.54 million. Business First Bancshares had a net margin of 14.19% and a return on equity of 11.88%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Business First Bancshares, Inc. will post 2.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Business First Bancshares Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, May 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were given a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 15th. Business First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Stephens reduced their price target on Business First Bancshares from $34.00 to $32.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Raymond James decreased their price target on Business First Bancshares from $30.00 to $28.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Business First Bancshares

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Business First Bancshares by 106.7% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,052 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 543 shares during the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Business First Bancshares in the 4th quarter worth approximately $67,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Business First Bancshares in the 4th quarter worth approximately $85,000. Quantbot Technologies LP grew its stake in shares of Business First Bancshares by 37.5% during the 4th quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 3,582 shares of the company’s stock worth $92,000 after purchasing an additional 976 shares during the period. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Business First Bancshares during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $94,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 47.35% of the company’s stock.

About Business First Bancshares

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.