SG Americas Securities LLC Buys Shares of 25,832 Business First Bancshares, Inc. $BFST

SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 25,832 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $610,000. SG Americas Securities LLC owned about 0.09% of Business First Bancshares at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of BFST. Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in Business First Bancshares by 1,532.5% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 159,481 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,883,000 after buying an additional 149,712 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 13.4% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 697,274 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,190,000 after acquiring an additional 82,349 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Business First Bancshares in the 1st quarter valued at $1,150,000. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 6.3% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 649,100 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,000,000 after purchasing an additional 38,370 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fourthstone LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Business First Bancshares during the second quarter worth $854,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 47.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on BFST. DA Davidson started coverage on Business First Bancshares in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $32.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Business First Bancshares in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Raymond James Financial increased their price target on shares of Business First Bancshares from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $31.50.

More Business First Bancshares News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS beat and improved core EPS — BFST reported $0.79 non‑GAAP EPS, beating the consensus of $0.72 and up versus the linked quarter on a core basis, which supports earnings momentum and valuation metrics. Zacks: BFST Beats Q4
• Neutral Sentiment: Company provided full materials and call transcript — management filed the press release, slide deck and an earnings‑call transcript that investors can use to dig into loan growth, NII, margins and expense drivers before taking new positions. Press Release / Slide Deck Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue missed expectations materially — Q4 revenue of $69.44M fell well short of the ~ $81M consensus, and GAAP net income was slightly lower versus the prior quarter, raising questions about interest income or fee trends and tempering the EPS beat. This top‑line weakness likely pressured the stock despite the EPS upside. Zacks: Key Metrics Analysis

Insider Activity at Business First Bancshares

In related news, CFO Greg Robertson sold 1,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.41, for a total transaction of $36,974.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 67,835 shares in the company, 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Rick D. Day acquired 1,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 28th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $24.21 per share, for a total transaction of $38,736.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 265,885 shares in the company, valued at $6,437,075.85. This represents a 0.61% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 5.68% of the company’s stock.

Business First Bancshares Stock Down 0.1%

NASDAQ:BFST opened at $28.17 on Friday. Business First Bancshares, Inc. has a 1 year low of $20.07 and a 1 year high of $28.84. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $26.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $25.21. The stock has a market cap of $834.11 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.88 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 (NASDAQ:BFST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The company reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.07. Business First Bancshares had a return on equity of 11.08% and a net margin of 15.94%.The company had revenue of $69.44 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $81.41 million. As a group, equities analysts expect that Business First Bancshares, Inc. will post 2.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Business First Bancshares Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Sunday, February 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. Business First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.17%.

Business First Bancshares announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, October 28th that permits the company to repurchase $30.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 4.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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.