MQS Management LLC Invests $579,000 in Business First Bancshares, Inc. $BFST

MQS Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 21,397 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $579,000. MQS Management LLC owned about 0.07% of Business First Bancshares at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Business First Bancshares by 15,600.0% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,099 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 1,092 shares in the last quarter. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Business First Bancshares in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. FWL Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Business First Bancshares in the 3rd quarter valued at about $42,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in shares of Business First Bancshares by 389.7% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,669 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,000 after buying an additional 2,124 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC grew its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 36.5% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,446 shares of the company’s stock worth $116,000 after buying an additional 1,188 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 47.35% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Business First Bancshares news, Director George W. Cummings III sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.54, for a total transaction of $428,100.00. Following the sale, the director owned 281,180 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,024,877.20. The trade was a 5.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 36,595 shares of company stock worth $1,031,732. 5.67% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Business First Bancshares Trading Up 0.2%

Business First Bancshares stock opened at $30.73 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $28.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $27.80. 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, Inc. has a one year low of $22.56 and a one year high of $31.04. The stock has a market cap of $1.00 billion, a PE ratio of 10.90 and a beta of 0.79.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.04. Business First Bancshares had a return on equity of 11.10% and a net margin of 17.02%.The business had revenue of $89.25 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $90.99 million. On average, research analysts anticipate that Business First Bancshares, Inc. will post 3.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Business First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th were paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Business First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.28%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on BFST shares. DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $33.00 price objective on shares of Business First Bancshares in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Stephens set a $33.00 target price on shares of Business First Bancshares in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $32.33.

Business First Bancshares 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.