Bank First National (NASDAQ:BFC) Raised to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Bank First National (NASDAQ:BFC) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Bank First National in a research report on Wednesday. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of Bank First National from $137.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Hovde Group increased their price objective on shares of Bank First National from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Bank First National currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $146.00.

Bank First National Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:BFC opened at $137.32 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.35 billion, a PE ratio of 18.99 and a beta of 0.42. Bank First National has a 12 month low of $93.00 and a 12 month high of $142.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The business has a 50-day moving average of $127.76 and a two-hundred day moving average of $126.18.

Bank First National (NASDAQ:BFC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $49.68 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $43.75 million. Bank First National had a net margin of 29.31% and a return on equity of 11.68%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Bank First National will post 6.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bank First National

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of BFC. State of Alaska Department of Revenue bought a new position in shares of Bank First National during the third quarter valued at approximately $48,000. CWM LLC grew its stake in Bank First National by 17.0% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 669 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Bank First National by 17,650.0% in the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 710 shares of the company’s stock worth $84,000 after buying an additional 706 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. acquired a new stake in Bank First National in the third quarter worth $94,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in Bank First National by 22.5% in the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 816 shares of the company’s stock valued at $96,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 29.95% of the company’s stock.

Bank First National News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Bank First National this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Reported Q4 beat — Bank First posted $2.00 EPS vs. a $1.75 consensus and revenue of $49.68M vs. $43.75M expected; margins and profitability were strong, which supports near-term share strength. Zacks: BFC Beats Q4
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend raised — the board declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.50/share (11.1% increase from $0.45). Record/ex-dividend timing announced (record Mar 25; pay Apr 8), which signals confidence in earnings and returns capital to shareholders. PR Newswire: Dividend & Net Income
• Positive Sentiment: Company-level results — PR Newswire/press materials show Q4 net income of $18.4M and full-year net income of $71.5M, with annual EPS of $7.23 and solid quarterly annualized ROA (~1.65%). These fundamentals back the earnings beat and dividend increase. PR Newswire: Net Income Details
• Neutral Sentiment: Higher trading interest — volume spiked well above average during the move, indicating increased investor attention; price sits near its 52-week high and above both the 50- and 200-day moving averages, which could limit further upside without continued catalyst.
• Negative Sentiment: Modest yield and valuation — the new dividend yields ~1.4% and the stock trades at a P/E around 19, which may temper interest from income-focused investors seeking higher yields.

About Bank First National

Bank First National Corporation (NASDAQ: BFC) is the bank holding company for Bank First National, a community bank headquartered in Princeton, Wisconsin. The company offers a comprehensive suite of financial services designed to meet the needs of individuals, families, small businesses and agricultural clients. Through its branch network and digital channels, Bank First National provides deposit accounts, consumer and commercial lending, mortgage financing and treasury management solutions.

The bank’s core deposit products include checking and savings accounts, money market funds and certificates of deposit, complemented by online and mobile banking platforms that enable customers to manage their finances remotely.