Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) Director Joseph Vernon Johnson Sells 10,000 Shares

Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) Director Joseph Vernon Johnson sold 10,000 shares of Business First Bancshares stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.75, for a total value of $317,500.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 174,073 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,526,817.75. This represents a 5.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

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

• On Wednesday, July 29th, Joseph Vernon Johnson sold 2,000 shares of Business First Bancshares stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.15, for a total value of $62,300.00.

Business First Bancshares Stock Down 0.2%

Business First Bancshares stock opened at $31.94 on Friday. Business First Bancshares, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $22.56 and a fifty-two week high of $32.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.33 and a beta of 0.78. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $29.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $28.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $0.70 by $0.01. Business First Bancshares had a return on equity of 11.31% and a net margin of 17.07%.The business had revenue of $91.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $91.31 million. Analysts predict that Business First Bancshares, Inc. will post 3.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Business First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Stockholders of record on Saturday, August 15th will be given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Business First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.28%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Business First Bancshares

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Business First Bancshares by 15,600.0% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,099 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 1,092 shares in the last quarter. FWL Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Business First Bancshares during the third quarter worth approximately $42,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its stake in Business First Bancshares by 389.7% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,669 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,000 after acquiring an additional 2,124 shares during the period. CWM LLC increased its stake in shares of Business First Bancshares by 36.5% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,446 shares of the company’s stock valued at $116,000 after acquiring an additional 1,188 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Virtus Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Business First Bancshares in the 3rd quarter worth $123,000. 47.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Business First Bancshares in a research report on Monday, July 6th. DA Davidson increased their target price on Business First Bancshares from $33.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Stephens raised their price target 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. Finally, Hovde Group boosted their price target on Business First Bancshares from $32.50 to $36.00 and gave the stock 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.com, Business First Bancshares presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.50.

About Business First Bancshares

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.