Principal Financial Group Inc. Takes Position in Business First Bancshares, Inc. $BFST

Principal Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor bought 29,621 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $801,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BFST. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake 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 valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 1,092 shares during the last quarter. FWL Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Business First Bancshares in the third quarter worth $42,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its stake in shares of Business First Bancshares by 389.7% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,669 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 2,124 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its holdings in Business First Bancshares by 36.5% in the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,446 shares of the company’s stock valued at $116,000 after purchasing an additional 1,188 shares during the period. Finally, Virtus Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Business First Bancshares in the third quarter valued at $123,000. 47.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Business First Bancshares

In other Business First Bancshares news, Director Joseph Vernon Johnson sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.15, for a total transaction of $62,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 172,073 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,360,073.95. The trade was a 1.15% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director George W. Cummings III sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.08, for a total transaction of $320,800.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 231,180 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,416,254.40. The trade was a 4.15% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 72,795 shares of company stock worth $2,185,668. 5.67% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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

Business First Bancshares Price Performance

BFST stock opened at $31.82 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The company’s 50-day moving average is $29.81 and its 200-day moving average is $28.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.04 billion, a PE ratio of 11.28 and a beta of 0.78. Business First Bancshares, Inc. has a 1 year low of $22.56 and a 1 year high of $32.39.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.71 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 $91.81 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $91.31 million. Equities research analysts expect that Business First Bancshares, Inc. will post 3.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Business First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The company 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 $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Business First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.28%.

Business First Bancshares 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.