Bank First National (NASDAQ:BFC) Reaches New 12-Month High – Here’s Why

Bank First National Corporation (NASDAQ:BFC)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Thursday . The company traded as high as $157.01 and last traded at $156.31, with a volume of 83663 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $156.08.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Bank First National from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Hovde Group increased their target price on shares of Bank First National from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Bank First National from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 4th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of Bank First National from $157.00 to $161.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Bank First National from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $163.00.

Bank First National Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The company has a market cap of $1.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.33 and a beta of 0.41. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $146.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $142.46.

Bank First National (NASDAQ:BFC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The company reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.05. Bank First National had a return on equity of 13.02% and a net margin of 27.70%.The business had revenue of $75.04 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $65.25 million. As a group, analysts anticipate that Bank First National Corporation will post 9.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bank First National Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 23rd. This is a positive change from Bank First National’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Bank First National’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.21%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bank First National

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in shares of Bank First National by 920.0% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 204 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in Bank First National by 95.5% during the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 305 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings in Bank First National by 406.8% during the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 370 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Bank First National in the 3rd quarter valued at about $94,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in Bank First National by 22.5% in the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 816 shares of the company’s stock valued at $96,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 29.95% of the company’s stock.

About Bank First National

Bank First National Corporation (NASDAQ: BFC) is the bank holding company for Bank First National, a community bank headquartered in Princeton, Wisconsin. The company offers a comprehensive suite of financial services designed to meet the needs of individuals, families, small businesses and agricultural clients. Through its branch network and digital channels, Bank First National provides deposit accounts, consumer and commercial lending, mortgage financing and treasury management solutions.

The bank’s core deposit products include checking and savings accounts, money market funds and certificates of deposit, complemented by online and mobile banking platforms that enable customers to manage their finances remotely.