Kestra Advisory Services LLC Invests $1.28 Million in Business First Bancshares, Inc. $BFST

Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 47,399 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,282,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC owned about 0.14% of Business First Bancshares as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of BFST. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Business First Bancshares by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,591,098 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,566,000 after purchasing an additional 17,690 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Business First Bancshares by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,083,887 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,333,000 after buying an additional 59,639 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP boosted its holdings in shares of Business First Bancshares by 27.0% in the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 823,364 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,523,000 after buying an additional 175,284 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Business First Bancshares by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 731,206 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,119,000 after buying an additional 14,576 shares during the period. Finally, Mendon Capital Advisors Corp increased its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 5.7% in the second quarter. Mendon Capital Advisors Corp now owns 280,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,902,000 after acquiring an additional 15,000 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 47.35% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Business First Bancshares

In related news, Director George W. Cummings III sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.54, for a total transaction of $428,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 281,180 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,024,877.20. This trade represents a 5.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders have sold 36,595 shares of company stock valued at $1,031,732 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 5.67% of the company’s stock.

Business First Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of BFST opened at $30.49 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $29.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $28.18. Business First Bancshares, Inc. has a 52 week low of $22.56 and a 52 week high of $31.57. The company has a market capitalization of $996.41 million, a PE ratio of 10.81 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last released its earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $89.25 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $90.99 million. Business First Bancshares had a net margin of 17.02% and a return on equity of 11.10%. Research analysts expect that Business First Bancshares, Inc. will post 3.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on BFST. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Business First Bancshares in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Stephens set a $33.00 price objective on shares of Business First Bancshares in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and set a $33.00 target price on shares of Business First Bancshares in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $32.33.

Business First Bancshares 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.