Business First Bancshares (BFST) to Release Earnings on Monday

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) is expected to release its Q1 2026 results before the market opens on Monday, April 27th. Analysts expect Business First Bancshares to post earnings of $0.7230 per share and revenue of $92.4460 million for the quarter. Interested persons can find conference call details on the company’s upcoming Q1 2026 earning report page for the latest details on the call scheduled for Monday, April 27, 2026 at 10:00 AM ET.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The company reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $69.44 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $81.41 million. Business First Bancshares had a net margin of 17.01% and a return on equity of 11.25%. On average, analysts expect Business First Bancshares to post $3 EPS for the current fiscal year and $3 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Business First Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:BFST opened at $28.26 on Friday. Business First Bancshares has a 12 month low of $22.25 and a 12 month high of $30.32. The company has a market cap of $923.82 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.13 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $27.60 and a 200-day moving average price of $26.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Business First Bancshares news, Director Rick D. Day bought 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 27th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $27.55 per share, with a total value of $41,325.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 267,385 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,366,456.75. This trade represents a 0.56% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Mark P. Folse sold 5,146 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.75, for a total transaction of $153,093.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 58,140 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,729,665. This represents a 8.13% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 13,778 shares of company stock valued at $399,361 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 5.68% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Business First Bancshares

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BFST. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Business First Bancshares by 115.4% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 38,485 shares of the company’s stock valued at $937,000 after purchasing an additional 20,620 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Business First Bancshares by 4.5% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 14,343 shares of the company’s stock valued at $349,000 after purchasing an additional 624 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Business First Bancshares by 1,532.5% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 159,481 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,883,000 after purchasing an additional 149,712 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of Business First Bancshares by 8.4% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 85,408 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,080,000 after purchasing an additional 6,596 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Business First Bancshares during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,150,000. Institutional investors own 47.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on BFST. DA Davidson increased their price target on shares of Business First Bancshares from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Stephens increased their price target on shares of Business First Bancshares from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Raymond James Financial increased their price target on shares of Business First Bancshares from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Business First Bancshares from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $33.00.

Business First Bancshares Company Profile

Business First Bancshares, Inc is the bank holding company for Business First Bank, a regional community bank headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, the company provides a full suite of commercial and retail banking services to small and medium-sized businesses, professionals and individual consumers. Business First Bancshares operates under a community-focused model, emphasizing personalized service, local decision-making and relationship banking.

The company’s primary business activities include commercial lending, treasury and cash management, and deposit services.