Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) Short Interest Update

Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) was the target of a large growth in short interest during the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 175,800 shares, a growth of 9.9% from the August 31st total of 159,900 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 84,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.1 days.

Business First Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of BFST stock opened at $25.47 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $649.54 million, a P/E ratio of 10.11 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $24.15 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $22.27. Business First Bancshares has a one year low of $17.90 and a one year high of $26.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $112.05 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $63.16 million. Business First Bancshares had a return on equity of 12.19% and a net margin of 15.90%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.70 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Business First Bancshares will post 2.13 EPS for the current year.

Business First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, August 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 15th were paid a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 15th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.20%. Business First Bancshares’s payout ratio is 22.05%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Hovde Group upped their price objective on Business First Bancshares from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $26.67.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Warren Mcdonald sold 1,532 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.71, for a total value of $39,387.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 20,595 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $529,497.45. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Business First Bancshares news, Director Joseph Vernon Johnson sold 5,574 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.38, for a total value of $141,468.12. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 213,357 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,415,000.66. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Warren Mcdonald sold 1,532 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.71, for a total transaction of $39,387.72. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 20,595 shares in the company, valued at $529,497.45. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 14,906 shares of company stock valued at $377,392. Insiders own 6.45% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Business First Bancshares

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Business First Bancshares during the 2nd quarter valued at $106,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Business First Bancshares during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $116,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in Business First Bancshares by 75.8% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 11,608 shares of the company’s stock valued at $259,000 after acquiring an additional 5,004 shares during the period. Argent Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Business First Bancshares by 4.0% in the second quarter. Argent Advisors Inc. now owns 12,949 shares of the company’s stock worth $282,000 after purchasing an additional 497 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 5.6% in the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 14,506 shares of the company’s stock worth $323,000 after purchasing an additional 771 shares during the period. 47.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Business First Bancshares Company Profile

Business First Bancshares, Inc operates as the bank holding company for b1BANK that provides various banking products and services in Louisiana and Texas. It offers various deposit products and services, including checking, demand, money market, time, and savings accounts; and certificates of deposits, remote deposit capture, and direct deposit services.