Insider Selling: Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) Director Sells $318,600.00 in Stock

Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) Director George Cummings III sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.86, for a total transaction of $318,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 251,180 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,002,594.80. This trade represents a 3.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Business First Bancshares Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ BFST opened at $31.82 on Friday. Business First Bancshares, Inc. has a twelve month low of $22.56 and a twelve month high of $32.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $29.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $28.43. The company has a market capitalization of $1.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.28 and a beta of 0.78.

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

Business First Bancshares Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 255.8% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 441,853 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,948,000 after acquiring an additional 317,650 shares in the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP lifted its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 27.0% in the 4th quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 823,364 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,523,000 after acquiring an additional 175,284 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 1,532.5% in the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 159,481 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,883,000 after acquiring an additional 149,712 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in Business First Bancshares by 467.0% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 107,684 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,542,000 after purchasing an additional 88,693 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Business First Bancshares by 7.5% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,165,720 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,520,000 after purchasing an additional 81,833 shares during the period. 47.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Business First Bancshares News Summary

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on BFST. DA Davidson upped their price target on Business First Bancshares from $33.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Hovde Group raised their price objective on Business First Bancshares from $32.50 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Business First Bancshares in a report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Stephens boosted their target price on Business First Bancshares from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $34.50.

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.