Bank First National (NASDAQ:BFC) Rating Increased to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Bank First National (NASDAQ:BFC) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Saturday morning.

Several other research firms have also recently commented on BFC. Zacks Research cut Bank First National from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on Bank First National from $150.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Scotiabank raised Bank First National to a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Bank First National from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Bank First National has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $153.50.

Bank First National Trading Down 1.8%

NASDAQ BFC opened at $141.14 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.63 and a beta of 0.44. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $139.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $134.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 0.94. Bank First National has a 52 week low of $109.11 and a 52 week high of $152.99.

Bank First National (NASDAQ:BFC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The company reported $2.24 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.40 by ($0.16). The firm had revenue of $63.75 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $65.70 million. Bank First National had a net margin of 27.49% and a return on equity of 11.89%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.82 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Bank First National will post 9.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bank First National Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 24th will be given a dividend of $0.55 per share. This is a positive change from Bank First National’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 24th. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Bank First National’s payout ratio is presently 27.82%.

Insider Activity at Bank First National

In related news, Director Todd A. Sprang purchased 450 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 22nd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $138.96 per share, with a total value of $62,532.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 2,015 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $280,004.40. This trade represents a 28.75% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael S. Stayer-Suprick purchased 225 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 21st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $140.04 per share, for a total transaction of $31,509.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 4,597 shares in the company, valued at approximately $643,763.88. The trade was a 5.15% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 4.97% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its holdings in shares of Bank First National by 10.6% during the 1st quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 4,715 shares of the company’s stock worth $637,000 after acquiring an additional 451 shares during the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its holdings in shares of Bank First National by 182.0% during the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 15,451 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,087,000 after acquiring an additional 9,971 shares during the last quarter. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Bank First National during the 1st quarter worth approximately $213,000. First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Bank First National by 9.6% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 73,036 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,864,000 after acquiring an additional 6,416 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Bank First National by 21.2% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 159,678 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,565,000 after acquiring an additional 27,953 shares during the last quarter. 29.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Bank First National

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.