Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) EVP Saundra Strong Sells 1,000 Shares of Stock

Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) EVP Saundra Strong sold 1,000 shares of Business First Bancshares stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.98, for a total value of $31,980.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,878 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $155,998.44. This trade represents a 17.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Business First Bancshares Stock Down 0.9%

BFST stock traded down $0.28 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $31.71. 261,564 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 206,508. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $30.05 and its 200 day moving average price is $28.56. Business First Bancshares, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $22.56 and a fifty-two week high of $32.39. The stock has a market cap of $1.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.24 and a beta of 0.78.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $91.81 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $91.31 million. Business First Bancshares had a return on equity of 11.03% and a net margin of 17.07%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Business First Bancshares, Inc. will post 3.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Business First Bancshares Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on BFST. Stephens increased their target price on Business First Bancshares from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research 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. Hovde Group upped their price target on Business First Bancshares from $32.50 to $36.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, DA Davidson increased their price target on shares of Business First Bancshares from $33.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Business First Bancshares currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.50.

Institutional Trading of Business First Bancshares

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

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.