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

Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, July 23rd. Investors of record on Saturday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of 0.15 per share on Monday, August 31st. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th.

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 annually for the last 2 consecutive years. Business First Bancshares has a dividend payout ratio of 20.8% indicating that 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 opened at $30.47 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $29.30 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $28.22. The company has a market capitalization of $995.76 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.81 and a beta of 0.78. Business First Bancshares has a fifty-two week low of $22.56 and a fifty-two week high of $31.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.71 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $91.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $91.31 million. Business First Bancshares had a return on equity of 11.10% and a net margin of 17.02%. Analysts expect that Business First Bancshares will post 3.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Trending Headlines about Business First Bancshares

Here are the key news stories impacting Business First Bancshares this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BFST reported Q2 earnings of $0.71 per share, edging past analyst expectations by $0.01 and up from $0.66 a year ago, a sign of steady profitability. Business First Bancshares earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share, signaling continued capital return to shareholders and implying an annualized yield of about 2.0%. Business First Bancshares dividend announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Sector-wide commentary on regional banks was supportive, with lenders reporting stronger net interest income, loan and deposit growth, and improved credit quality, which may be helping sentiment around BFST. Regional banks earnings sector update
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue for the quarter came in at $91.0 million, slightly below the $91.31 million consensus estimate, so the quarter was a modest earnings beat but not a clear top-line surprise. Business First Bancshares earnings report

Business First Bancshares Company Profile

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.