Joseph Vernon Johnson Sells 2,000 Shares of Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) Stock

Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) Director Joseph Vernon Johnson sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.15, for a total transaction of $62,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 172,073 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,360,073.95. This trade represents a 1.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

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

• On Tuesday, July 28th, Joseph Vernon Johnson sold 10,000 shares of Business First Bancshares stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.75, for a total value of $317,500.00.

Business First Bancshares Stock Down 0.4%

NASDAQ BFST opened at $31.82 on Friday. Business First Bancshares, Inc. has a 1-year low of $22.56 and a 1-year high of $32.39. The company has a market capitalization of $1.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.28 and a beta of 0.78. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $29.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $28.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

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

Business First Bancshares Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BFST has been the subject of several analyst reports. Hovde Group lifted their price target on shares of Business First Bancshares from $32.50 to $36.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Business First Bancshares in a research note on Monday, July 6th. DA Davidson raised their price objective on shares of Business First Bancshares from $33.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Stephens lifted their target price on shares of 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 investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.50.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Business First Bancshares by 15,600.0% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,099 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 1,092 shares during the last quarter. FWL Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Business First Bancshares during the third quarter worth $42,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in shares of Business First Bancshares by 389.7% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,669 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,000 after acquiring an additional 2,124 shares during the period. CWM LLC lifted its stake in shares of Business First Bancshares by 36.5% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,446 shares of the company’s stock valued at $116,000 after acquiring an additional 1,188 shares during the period. Finally, Virtus Advisers LLC bought a new position in Business First Bancshares in the third quarter valued at about $123,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 47.35% of the company’s stock.

Business First Bancshares News Roundup

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

Business First Bancshares Company 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.