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

Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of 0.15 per share on Friday, May 29th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th.

Business First Bancshares has increased its dividend by an average of 0.1%annually over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 2 consecutive years. Business First Bancshares has a payout ratio of 20.8% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect Business First Bancshares to earn $3.27 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 18.3%.

Business First Bancshares Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ BFST traded down $0.10 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $27.12. 4,693 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 177,883. Business First Bancshares has a 52 week low of $22.51 and a 52 week high of $30.32. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $27.38 and its 200 day moving average price is $27.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $886.18 million, a PE ratio of 9.62 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $89.25 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $90.99 million. Business First Bancshares had a return on equity of 11.10% and a net margin of 17.02%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Business First Bancshares will post 3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Business First Bancshares

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BFST. CenterBook Partners LP bought a new position in Business First Bancshares during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,080,000. Royce & Associates LP boosted its stake in shares of Business First Bancshares by 17.5% during the 3rd quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 648,080 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,301,000 after acquiring an additional 96,720 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in Business First Bancshares by 12.6% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 730,694 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,252,000 after buying an additional 81,594 shares in the last quarter. Gator Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Business First Bancshares by 52.7% during the 3rd quarter. Gator Capital Management LLC now owns 65,377 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,544,000 after acquiring an additional 22,573 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Business First Bancshares in the third quarter worth approximately $610,000. 47.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.