Insider Selling: Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) EVP Sells 3,778 Shares of Stock

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

Business First Bancshares Stock Performance

BFST stock traded up $0.55 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $28.17. 180,284 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 125,274. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $26.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $25.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 1.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $834.11 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.10 and a beta of 0.86. Business First Bancshares, Inc. has a one year low of $20.07 and a one year high of $28.84.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.07. Business First Bancshares had a net margin of 17.01% and a return on equity of 11.41%. The firm had revenue of $69.44 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $81.41 million. Equities research analysts forecast that Business First Bancshares, Inc. will post 2.72 EPS for the current year.

Business First Bancshares declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Tuesday, October 28th that allows the company to buyback $30.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 4.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Business First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Polaris Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 7.0% in the fourth quarter. Polaris Capital Management LLC now owns 82,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,154,000 after purchasing an additional 5,400 shares in the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH boosted its holdings in shares of Business First Bancshares by 43.6% in the 4th quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 12,190 shares of the company’s stock worth $319,000 after purchasing an additional 3,700 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its position in Business First Bancshares by 36.5% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,446 shares of the company’s stock worth $116,000 after purchasing an additional 1,188 shares during the period. Daytona Street Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Business First Bancshares in the 4th quarter valued at about $209,000. Finally, Penn Capital Management Company LLC boosted its position in Business First Bancshares by 19.5% during the 3rd quarter. Penn Capital Management Company LLC now owns 25,191 shares of the company’s stock valued at $595,000 after buying an additional 4,111 shares during the period. 47.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.