Insider Selling: Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) Director Sells $317,500.00 in Stock

Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) Director Joseph Vernon Johnson sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.75, for a total transaction of $317,500.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 174,073 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,526,817.75. This represents a 5.43% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Joseph Vernon Johnson also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, July 29th, Joseph Vernon Johnson sold 2,000 shares of Business First Bancshares stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.15, for a total transaction of $62,300.00.

Business First Bancshares Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:BFST opened at $31.82 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $29.81 and its 200-day moving average is $28.43. The company has a market cap of $1.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.28 and a beta of 0.78. Business First Bancshares, Inc. has a 52-week low of $22.56 and a 52-week high of $32.39.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.70 by $0.01. Business First Bancshares had a return on equity of 11.31% and a net margin of 17.07%.The business had revenue of $91.81 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $91.31 million. Equities research analysts predict that Business First Bancshares, Inc. will post 3.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Business First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Stockholders of record on Saturday, August 15th will be given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. Business First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.28%.

Business First Bancshares News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain bullish following the quarterly results: Stephens and Hovde Group raised their price targets to $36, while DA Davidson lifted its target to $35. The consensus rating is “Buy,” with an average target of $34.50, implying additional upside from recent levels.
• Positive Sentiment: Business First Bancshares reported quarterly EPS of $0.71, slightly ahead of the $0.70 consensus estimate. The bank also maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share, or $0.60 annualized, representing a yield of approximately 1.9% and a payout ratio of 21.28%.
• Positive Sentiment: Director Rick Day purchased 1,500 shares for approximately $47,415, modestly increasing his ownership and providing a small vote of confidence from an insider. Insider Buying: Business First Bancshares Director Acquires Shares
• Neutral Sentiment: BFST trades above both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages and near its 52-week high, indicating strong recent momentum but also leaving the stock more sensitive to profit-taking. Institutional investors own approximately 47.35% of the shares.
• Negative Sentiment: Several insiders sold shares in recent transactions. Director George W. Cummings III sold a combined 20,000 shares for roughly $639,400, COO Keith Mansfield sold 4,200 shares for $134,736, and Director Joseph Vernon Johnson sold 12,000 shares for approximately $379,800. Although each executive retains a substantial stake, the cluster of sales may be interpreted as a near-term caution signal. Business First Bancshares Insider Sale SEC Filing

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on BFST shares. DA Davidson upped their price objective on shares of Business First Bancshares from $33.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Hovde Group lifted their target price on Business First Bancshares from $32.50 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” 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. Finally, Stephens boosted their price target on Business First Bancshares from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.50.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Business First Bancshares

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Business First Bancshares by 1.1% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,591,098 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,566,000 after acquiring an additional 17,690 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Business First Bancshares by 7.5% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,165,720 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,520,000 after purchasing an additional 81,833 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its stake in Business First Bancshares by 0.4% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 989,686 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,761,000 after purchasing an additional 3,540 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP lifted its stake in Business First Bancshares by 27.0% during the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 823,364 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,523,000 after purchasing an additional 175,284 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Business First Bancshares by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 731,206 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,119,000 after purchasing an additional 14,576 shares during the period. 47.35% of the stock is owned by 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.