Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 18,189 Shares of Bank First National Corporation $BFC

Principal Financial Group Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Bank First National Corporation (NASDAQ:BFC) by 57.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 13,656 shares of the company’s stock after selling 18,189 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.12% of Bank First National worth $1,844,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of BFC. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Bank First National by 920.0% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 204 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in Bank First National by 95.5% during the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 305 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its stake in Bank First National by 406.8% during the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 370 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. bought a new position in Bank First National during the third quarter valued at approximately $94,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in Bank First National by 22.5% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 816 shares of the company’s stock valued at $96,000 after buying an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 29.95% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Zacks Research raised Bank First National from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of Bank First National from $157.00 to $161.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Bank First National from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Bank First National from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 4th. Finally, Hovde Group increased their price objective on shares of Bank First National from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Bank First National presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $163.00.

Bank First National Stock Down 0.3%

NASDAQ BFC opened at $151.29 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. Bank First National Corporation has a 52 week low of $115.29 and a 52 week high of $154.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.67 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a fifty day moving average of $145.42 and a two-hundred day moving average of $141.64.

Bank First National (NASDAQ:BFC) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The company reported $2.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.05. Bank First National had a net margin of 27.70% and a return on equity of 13.02%. The business had revenue of $75.04 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $65.25 million. On average, analysts predict that Bank First National Corporation will post 9.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Bank First National Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. This is an increase from Bank First National’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 23rd. Bank First National’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.21%.

Bank First National Company Profile

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.