Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) Announces Quarterly Dividend of $0.15

Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, January 22nd. Investors of record on Sunday, February 15th will be given a dividend of 0.15 per share on Saturday, February 28th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th.

Business First Bancshares has raised its dividend by an average of 0.1%per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend every year for the last 2 years. Business First Bancshares has a payout ratio of 20.8% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect Business First Bancshares to earn $2.96 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.60 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 20.3%.

Business First Bancshares Stock Up 0.6%

NASDAQ BFST traded up $0.17 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $28.34. 58,436 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 108,857. The stock has a market capitalization of $839.15 million, a PE ratio of 10.94 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. Business First Bancshares has a 12 month low of $20.07 and a 12 month high of $28.84. The company has a 50 day moving average of $26.60 and a two-hundred day moving average of $25.21.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.07. Business First Bancshares had a net margin of 15.94% and a return on equity of 11.08%. The company had revenue of $69.44 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $81.41 million. As a group, equities analysts expect that Business First Bancshares will post 2.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Business First Bancshares news, CFO Greg Robertson sold 1,400 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.41, for a total value of $36,974.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 67,835 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,791,522.35. This trade represents a 2.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Rick D. Day bought 1,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 28th. The stock was bought at an average price of $24.21 per share, for a total transaction of $38,736.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 265,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,437,075.85. The trade was a 0.61% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 5.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new stake in shares of Business First Bancshares in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp bought a new position in Business First Bancshares in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Business First Bancshares in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. FWL Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Business First Bancshares in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, CWM LLC raised its stake in Business First Bancshares by 160.2% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,469 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 1,520 shares in the last quarter. 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.