Q4 Earnings Estimate for BFST Issued By DA Davidson

Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) – Research analysts at DA Davidson issued their Q4 2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Business First Bancshares in a report released on Monday, October 28th. DA Davidson analyst M. Navas forecasts that the company will earn $0.37 per share for the quarter. The consensus estimate for Business First Bancshares’ current full-year earnings is $2.14 per share.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $0.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $113.52 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $65.24 million. Business First Bancshares had a return on equity of 12.19% and a net margin of 15.90%. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.71 EPS.

Separately, Hovde Group raised their target price on shares of Business First Bancshares from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th.

Business First Bancshares Stock Performance

BFST opened at $27.13 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $25.07 and a 200 day simple moving average of $22.87. Business First Bancshares has a 1 year low of $18.97 and a 1 year high of $27.72. The company has a market capitalization of $691.87 million, a PE ratio of 11.69 and a beta of 0.97.

Business First Bancshares Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, November 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.06%. Business First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.14%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Warren Mcdonald sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.68, for a total value of $37,020.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 19,095 shares in the company, valued at $471,264.60. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 6.45% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Business First Bancshares

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BFST. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Business First Bancshares in the second quarter valued at about $106,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Business First Bancshares in the 2nd quarter valued at about $116,000. KG&L Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Business First Bancshares during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $227,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 75.8% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 11,608 shares of the company’s stock worth $259,000 after buying an additional 5,004 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Argent Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Business First Bancshares by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. Argent Advisors Inc. now owns 12,949 shares of the company’s stock worth $282,000 after buying an additional 497 shares during the last quarter. 47.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Business First Bancshares

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.