Bank First Co. (NASDAQ:BFC) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

Bank First Co. (NASDAQ:BFC) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 199,800 shares, a decline of 11.4% from the March 31st total of 225,400 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 18,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 10.8 days.

Bank First Stock Performance

BFC traded up $0.33 during trading on Monday, reaching $78.86. 13,300 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 18,999. The stock has a market cap of $798.06 million, a P/E ratio of 10.24 and a beta of 0.27. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $82.49 and a 200 day moving average of $83.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. Bank First has a 52 week low of $65.00 and a 52 week high of $92.50.

Bank First Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 26th will be paid a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 25th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.78%. Bank First’s payout ratio is 18.18%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Bank First news, Director Mary Kay Bourbulas bought 600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 15th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $82.88 per share, with a total value of $49,728.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,003 shares in the company, valued at approximately $580,408.64. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Bank First news, Director Phillip R. Maples bought 650 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 6th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $81.72 per share, with a total value of $53,118.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,983 shares in the company, valued at approximately $162,050.76. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Mary Kay Bourbulas purchased 600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $82.88 per share, with a total value of $49,728.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 7,003 shares in the company, valued at approximately $580,408.64. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 5.73% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of Bank First in the third quarter valued at $57,000. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Bank First in the fourth quarter valued at $208,000. Arizona State Retirement System acquired a new stake in shares of Bank First in the fourth quarter valued at $214,000. NorthRock Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Bank First in the fourth quarter valued at $214,000. Finally, Semanteon Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Bank First in the fourth quarter valued at $236,000. Institutional investors own 29.95% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Hovde Group downgraded Bank First from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, March 4th. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on Bank First from $90.00 to $87.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 18th.

About Bank First

Bank First Corporation operates as a holding company for Bank First, N.A. that provides consumer and commercial financial services to businesses, professionals, consumers, associations, individuals, and governmental authorities in Wisconsin. It offers checking, savings, money market, cash management, retirement, and health savings accounts; other time deposits; certificates of deposit; and residential mortgage products.