Business First Bancshares (BFST) Set to Announce Quarterly Earnings on Thursday

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) will be issuing its quarterly earnings data after the market closes on Thursday, April 25th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $0.57 per share for the quarter. Parties that are interested in participating in the company’s conference call can do so using this link.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 23rd. The company reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.06. Business First Bancshares had a net margin of 18.22% and a return on equity of 13.28%. The firm had revenue of $101.08 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $63.40 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.66 EPS. On average, analysts expect Business First Bancshares to post $2 EPS for the current fiscal year and $2 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Business First Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of BFST stock opened at $20.17 on Thursday. Business First Bancshares has a 12 month low of $13.05 and a 12 month high of $25.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $515.10 million, a P/E ratio of 7.76 and a beta of 0.94. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $21.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $21.54.

Business First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 15th were issued a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 14th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.78%. Business First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.54%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of Business First Bancshares from $23.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Business First Bancshares in a research report on Monday, January 15th. Finally, Raymond James downgraded shares of Business First Bancshares from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Business First Bancshares has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $23.33.

Insider Transactions at Business First Bancshares

In other news, insider Warren Mcdonald sold 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.37, for a total value of $156,590.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 24,306 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $543,725.22. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 6.45% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Business First Bancshares

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Metropolitan Life Insurance Co NY boosted its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 44.5% in the fourth quarter. Metropolitan Life Insurance Co NY now owns 1,617 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 498 shares during the period. Osaic Holdings Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Business First Bancshares in the second quarter worth $35,000. FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 93.7% in the first quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,644 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 1,279 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 631.7% in the third quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,895 shares of the company’s stock worth $92,000 after buying an additional 4,226 shares during the period. Finally, BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA boosted its position in Business First Bancshares by 65.3% during the second quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA now owns 5,229 shares of the company’s stock valued at $111,000 after purchasing an additional 2,065 shares during the last quarter. 47.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Business First Bancshares Company 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.