BancFirst Corporation (NASDAQ:BANF) Short Interest Update

BancFirst Corporation (NASDAQ:BANF) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 951,381 shares, a growth of 19.3% from the February 12th total of 797,171 shares. Currently, 4.2% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 119,447 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 8.0 days. Based on an average daily volume of 119,447 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 8.0 days. Currently, 4.2% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

BancFirst Price Performance

NASDAQ:BANF opened at $107.25 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $112.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $115.81. BancFirst has a 52-week low of $97.02 and a 52-week high of $138.77. The firm has a market cap of $3.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.06 and a beta of 0.65.

BancFirst (NASDAQ:BANF) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The bank reported $1.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by ($0.03). BancFirst had a net margin of 25.05% and a return on equity of 13.68%. The business had revenue of $181.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $173.76 million. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that BancFirst will post 6.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BancFirst Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. BancFirst’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.53%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of BancFirst by 108.6% in the first quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 559 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 291 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in shares of BancFirst by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 11,844 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,301,000 after acquiring an additional 505 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its stake in shares of BancFirst by 8.0% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 46,396 shares of the bank’s stock worth $5,098,000 after acquiring an additional 3,433 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of BancFirst during the 1st quarter worth $3,646,000. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can grew its holdings in shares of BancFirst by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 4,926 shares of the bank’s stock worth $609,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 51.72% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on BANF. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of BancFirst in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of BancFirst from $120.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $125.00 price objective on shares of BancFirst in a report on Monday, March 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, BancFirst has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $124.00.

BancFirst Company Profile

BancFirst Corporation is a regional banking holding company based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. As the largest state‐chartered bank in Oklahoma, BancFirst offers a comprehensive suite of financial services to individuals, businesses and government entities. Its core business activities include commercial and consumer banking, mortgage lending, treasury management, equipment financing and electronic banking solutions.

The bank operates a network of more than 60 branches across Oklahoma, serving urban centers such as Oklahoma City and Tulsa, as well as rural communities throughout the state.