Insider Selling: Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) CFO Sells $36,974.00 in Stock

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

Business First Bancshares Stock Down 0.1%

NASDAQ BFST opened at $26.88 on Friday. Business First Bancshares, Inc. has a 52 week low of $20.07 and a 52 week high of $29.03. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $795.92 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.38 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a fifty day moving average of $24.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $24.50.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The company reported $0.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.03. Business First Bancshares had a net margin of 15.94% and a return on equity of 11.08%. The company had revenue of $80.95 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $80.50 million. On average, analysts predict that Business First Bancshares, Inc. will post 2.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Business First Bancshares Increases Dividend

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 14th. This is a positive change from Business First Bancshares’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Business First Bancshares’s payout ratio is presently 23.17%.

Business First Bancshares declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, October 28th that authorizes the company to buyback $30.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 4.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Business First Bancshares

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Jump Financial LLC purchased a new position in Business First Bancshares in the 1st quarter worth approximately $270,000. Security National Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Business First Bancshares in the second quarter valued at approximately $418,000. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Business First Bancshares in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,490,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Business First Bancshares during the second quarter worth approximately $72,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in Business First Bancshares by 13.4% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 610,730 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,871,000 after buying an additional 72,328 shares during 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.