Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) Sees Large Volume Increase

Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) shares saw unusually-high trading volume on Friday . Approximately 48,451 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 19% from the previous session’s volume of 60,090 shares.The stock last traded at $26.24 and had previously closed at $26.63.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Hovde Group boosted their price target on Business First Bancshares from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $26.67.

Business First Bancshares Trading Down 0.5 %

The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $23.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $22.11. The stock has a market cap of $675.80 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.48 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $112.05 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $63.16 million. Business First Bancshares had a return on equity of 12.19% and a net margin of 15.90%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.70 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Business First Bancshares, Inc. will post 2.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Business First Bancshares Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, August 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 15th were paid a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 15th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.11%. Business First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.05%.

Insider Transactions at Business First Bancshares

In other news, insider Warren Mcdonald sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.68, for a total transaction of $37,020.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 19,095 shares in the company, valued at $471,264.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Saundra Strong sold 6,300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.32, for a total transaction of $159,516.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 11,275 shares in the company, valued at $285,483. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Warren Mcdonald sold 1,500 shares of the 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 transaction, the insider now owns 19,095 shares in the company, valued at approximately $471,264.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 14,906 shares of company stock worth $377,392. Company insiders own 6.45% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Business First Bancshares

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new stake in Business First Bancshares during the second quarter worth approximately $106,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Business First Bancshares during the second quarter worth approximately $116,000. Panagora Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Business First Bancshares during the fourth quarter worth approximately $216,000. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Business First Bancshares during the fourth quarter worth approximately $225,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in Business First Bancshares by 75.8% during the first 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 47.35% of the company’s stock.

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.