Quantbot Technologies LP Buys 976 Shares of Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST)

Quantbot Technologies LP increased its position in shares of Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) by 37.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,582 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 976 shares during the quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP’s holdings in Business First Bancshares were worth $92,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of BFST. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in shares of Business First Bancshares by 81.8% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 8,631 shares of the company’s stock worth $222,000 after acquiring an additional 3,883 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Business First Bancshares during the fourth quarter worth $294,000. AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Business First Bancshares in the 4th quarter valued at $304,000. Americana Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Business First Bancshares in the 4th quarter valued at $317,000. Finally, Howard Financial Services LTD. acquired a new position in shares of Business First Bancshares during the 4th quarter worth $466,000. 47.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Business First Bancshares Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of BFST opened at $24.35 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 0.99. Business First Bancshares, Inc. has a 52 week low of $18.97 and a 52 week high of $30.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $719.59 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.77 and a beta of 1.04. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $26.06 and a 200-day moving average of $26.28.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The company reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.49 by $0.17. Business First Bancshares had a return on equity of 11.88% and a net margin of 14.19%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Business First Bancshares, Inc. will post 2.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Business First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Saturday, February 15th were issued a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Business First Bancshares’s payout ratio is 24.78%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BFST has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Raymond James raised Business First Bancshares from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $30.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Hovde Group raised shares of Business First Bancshares from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $31.50 to $33.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Business First Bancshares

In related news, Director Rick D. Day purchased 1,500 shares of Business First Bancshares stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $25.46 per share, for a total transaction of $38,190.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 264,285 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,728,696.10. This represents a 0.57 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 6.45% of the company’s stock.

Business First Bancshares 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.