Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) EVP Saundra Strong Sells 1,000 Shares of Stock

Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) EVP Saundra Strong sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.98, for a total transaction of $31,980.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,878 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $155,998.44. This represents a 17.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Business First Bancshares Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:BFST opened at $31.71 on Friday. Business First Bancshares, Inc. has a one year low of $22.56 and a one year high of $32.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The company has a market cap of $1.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.24 and a beta of 0.78. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $30.12 and a 200 day simple moving average of $28.59.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70 by $0.01. Business First Bancshares had a net margin of 17.07% and a return on equity of 11.03%. The firm had revenue of $91.81 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $91.31 million. Research analysts predict that Business First Bancshares, Inc. will post 3.02 earnings per share 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. Shareholders 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 yield of 1.9%. Business First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on BFST shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Business First Bancshares in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Stephens upped their price target on shares of Business First Bancshares from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. DA Davidson lifted their price target on shares of Business First Bancshares from $33.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Hovde Group increased their price objective on Business First Bancshares from $32.50 to $36.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Business First Bancshares currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $34.50.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Business First Bancshares

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in BFST. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in Business First Bancshares during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $13,853,000. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Business First Bancshares during the first quarter worth $1,608,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in Business First Bancshares by 0.4% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 989,686 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,761,000 after buying an additional 3,540 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in Business First Bancshares by 3.4% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 121,404 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,283,000 after buying an additional 3,997 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in Business First Bancshares by 63.3% in the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 18,033 shares of the company’s stock valued at $488,000 after buying an additional 6,988 shares during the period. 47.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.