Donald Chad Carter Sells 3,778 Shares of Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) Stock

Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) EVP Donald Chad Carter sold 3,778 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.27, for a total value of $103,026.06. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 13,863 shares in the company, valued at $378,044.01. The trade was a 21.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Business First Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of Business First Bancshares stock opened at $28.17 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $26.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $25.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $834.11 million, a P/E ratio of 10.10 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. Business First Bancshares, Inc. has a 52 week low of $20.07 and a 52 week high of $28.84.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $69.44 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $81.41 million. Business First Bancshares had a net margin of 17.01% and a return on equity of 11.41%. Sell-side analysts expect that Business First Bancshares, Inc. will post 2.72 EPS for the current year.

Business First Bancshares announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Tuesday, October 28th that permits the company to buyback $30.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 4.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Business First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, February 28th. Investors of record on Sunday, February 15th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Business First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on BFST. Raymond James Financial increased their price objective on Business First Bancshares from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Stephens increased their price target on shares of Business First Bancshares from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. DA Davidson lifted their price objective on shares of Business First Bancshares from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Business First Bancshares in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $33.00.

Institutional Trading of Business First Bancshares

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Business First Bancshares by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd now owns 14,510 shares of the company’s stock worth $343,000 after acquiring an additional 454 shares in the last quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC raised its holdings in Business First Bancshares by 2.6% in the 2nd quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC now owns 17,751 shares of the company’s stock worth $438,000 after purchasing an additional 457 shares during the period. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. boosted its position in Business First Bancshares by 22.8% during the second quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 2,908 shares of the company’s stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 540 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its position in Business First Bancshares by 7.4% during the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 8,792 shares of the company’s stock worth $208,000 after purchasing an additional 606 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in Business First Bancshares by 4.5% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 14,343 shares of the company’s stock valued at $349,000 after purchasing an additional 624 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 47.35% of the company’s stock.

Business First Bancshares Company 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.