Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) Director Sells $62,300.00 in Stock

Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) Director Joseph Vernon Johnson sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.15, for a total value of $62,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 172,073 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,360,073.95. The trade was a 1.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Joseph Vernon Johnson also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, July 28th, Joseph Vernon Johnson sold 10,000 shares of Business First Bancshares stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.75, for a total value of $317,500.00.

Business First Bancshares Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of BFST stock opened at $31.82 on Friday. Business First Bancshares, Inc. has a 1-year low of $22.56 and a 1-year high of $32.39. The company has a market cap of $1.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.28 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $29.81 and a 200-day simple moving average of $28.43.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $91.81 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $91.31 million. Business First Bancshares had a net margin of 17.07% and a return on equity of 11.31%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Business First Bancshares, Inc. will post 3.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Business First Bancshares Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Shareholders of record on Saturday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. Business First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.28%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Business First Bancshares

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on BFST shares. DA Davidson boosted their target price on shares of Business First Bancshares from $33.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Business First Bancshares in a report on Monday, July 6th. Stephens boosted their price objective on Business First Bancshares from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Hovde Group increased their target price on Business First Bancshares from $32.50 to $36.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.50.

Key Stories Impacting Business First Bancshares

Here are the key news stories impacting Business First Bancshares this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain bullish following the quarterly results: Stephens and Hovde Group raised their price targets to $36, while DA Davidson lifted its target to $35. The consensus rating is “Buy,” with an average target of $34.50, implying additional upside from recent levels.
• Positive Sentiment: Business First Bancshares reported quarterly EPS of $0.71, slightly ahead of the $0.70 consensus estimate. The bank also maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share, or $0.60 annualized, representing a yield of approximately 1.9% and a payout ratio of 21.28%.
• Positive Sentiment: Director Rick Day purchased 1,500 shares for approximately $47,415, modestly increasing his ownership and providing a small vote of confidence from an insider. Insider Buying: Business First Bancshares Director Acquires Shares
• Neutral Sentiment: BFST trades above both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages and near its 52-week high, indicating strong recent momentum but also leaving the stock more sensitive to profit-taking. Institutional investors own approximately 47.35% of the shares.
• Negative Sentiment: Several insiders sold shares in recent transactions. Director George W. Cummings III sold a combined 20,000 shares for roughly $639,400, COO Keith Mansfield sold 4,200 shares for $134,736, and Director Joseph Vernon Johnson sold 12,000 shares for approximately $379,800. Although each executive retains a substantial stake, the cluster of sales may be interpreted as a near-term caution signal. Business First Bancshares Insider Sale SEC Filing

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.