Equities Analysts Set Expectations for Business First Bancshares, Inc.’s Q2 2024 Earnings (NASDAQ:BFST)

Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) – Stock analysts at DA Davidson issued their Q2 2024 earnings per share estimates for shares of Business First Bancshares in a research note issued on Monday, April 29th. DA Davidson analyst M. Navas forecasts that the company will earn $0.47 per share for the quarter. DA Davidson has a “Buy” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Business First Bancshares’ current full-year earnings is $2.38 per share. DA Davidson also issued estimates for Business First Bancshares’ FY2025 earnings at $2.70 EPS.

A number of other analysts have also commented on the stock. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of Business First Bancshares from $23.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. Raymond James lowered shares of Business First Bancshares from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $23.33.

Business First Bancshares Price Performance

NASDAQ BFST opened at $20.54 on Tuesday. Business First Bancshares has a one year low of $13.05 and a one year high of $25.57. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $21.53 and a 200 day moving average of $21.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.01. The company has a market capitalization of $524.59 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.09 and a beta of 0.94.

Business First Bancshares Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be given a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 14th. Business First Bancshares’s payout ratio is 22.05%.

Insider Transactions at Business First Bancshares

In related news, insider Warren Mcdonald sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.37, for a total value of $156,590.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 24,306 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $543,725.22. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 6.45% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Business First Bancshares

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BFST. KG&L Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Business First Bancshares in the 4th quarter worth $218,000. Kennedy Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 25.1% in the third quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 295,969 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,552,000 after buying an additional 59,297 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Business First Bancshares by 1.3% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,276,408 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,945,000 after buying an additional 16,094 shares during the last quarter. ClariVest Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Business First Bancshares during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $743,000. Finally, Swiss National Bank increased its stake in Business First Bancshares by 3.1% in the third quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 53,008 shares of the company’s stock worth $994,000 after purchasing an additional 1,600 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 47.35% of the company’s stock.

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.