Insider Selling: Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) Director Sells $131,334.00 in Stock

Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) Director George Cummings III sold 4,200 shares of Business First Bancshares stock in a transaction on Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.27, for a total transaction of $131,334.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 193,745 shares in the company, valued at $6,058,406.15. This trade represents a 2.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Business First Bancshares Stock Up 0.3%

BFST stock opened at $31.23 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 1.01. Business First Bancshares, Inc. has a 52-week low of $22.56 and a 52-week high of $32.53. The company has a 50-day moving average of $31.03 and a two-hundred day moving average of $28.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.07 and a beta of 0.78.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.70 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $91.81 million for 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 anticipate that Business First Bancshares, Inc. will post 3.02 EPS for the current year.

Business First Bancshares Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Investors of record on Saturday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. 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 Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on BFST shares. Stephens lifted their price target 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 reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Business First Bancshares in a research report on Monday, July 6th. DA Davidson raised their price objective on shares of Business First Bancshares from $33.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Hovde Group raised their price objective on shares of Business First Bancshares from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $34.75.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Business First Bancshares

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Business First Bancshares by 15,600.0% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,099 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 1,092 shares in the last quarter. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Business First Bancshares during the 2nd quarter valued at about $39,000. FWL Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Business First Bancshares during the 3rd quarter valued at about $42,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 389.7% during the 2nd 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. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in Business First Bancshares in the second quarter valued at about $97,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.