Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) Director Joseph Vernon Johnson Sells 2,000 Shares

Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) Director Joseph Vernon Johnson sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.15, for a total value of $62,300.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 172,073 shares in the company, valued at $5,360,073.95. This trade represents a 1.15% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Joseph Vernon Johnson also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, July 28th, Joseph Vernon Johnson sold 10,000 shares of Business First Bancshares stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.75, for a total value of $317,500.00.

Business First Bancshares Stock Down 0.2%

BFST stock opened at $31.94 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.04 billion, a PE ratio of 11.33 and a beta of 0.78. Business First Bancshares, Inc. has a twelve month low of $22.56 and a twelve month high of $32.39. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $29.73 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $28.41.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.70 by $0.01. Business First Bancshares had a return on equity of 11.31% and a net margin of 17.07%.The firm had revenue of $91.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $91.31 million. On average, equities analysts predict that Business First Bancshares, Inc. will post 3.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Business First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Investors of record on Saturday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. Business First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is 21.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on BFST. Hovde Group raised their price target on shares of Business First Bancshares from $32.50 to $36.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Business First Bancshares in a report on Monday, July 6th. DA Davidson increased their price objective on Business First Bancshares from $33.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Stephens lifted their price objective on Business First Bancshares from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Five investment 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 a consensus target price of $34.50.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Business First Bancshares

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Business First Bancshares by 15,600.0% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,099 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 1,092 shares in the last quarter. FWL Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Business First Bancshares in the 3rd quarter worth $42,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 389.7% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,669 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,000 after buying an additional 2,124 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 36.5% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,446 shares of the company’s stock valued at $116,000 after buying an additional 1,188 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Virtus Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Business First Bancshares in the third quarter worth $123,000. 47.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.