Sei Investments Co. Grows Holdings in Business First Bancshares, Inc. $BFST

Sei Investments Co. increased its holdings in Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) by 127.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 51,452 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 28,879 shares during the quarter. Sei Investments Co.’s holdings in Business First Bancshares were worth $1,391,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Business First Bancshares by 15,600.0% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,099 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 1,092 shares in the last quarter. FWL Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Business First Bancshares in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $42,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its stake 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 worth $66,000 after buying an additional 2,124 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its stake 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. Finally, Virtus Advisers LLC bought a new position in Business First Bancshares during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $123,000. Institutional investors own 47.35% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Business First Bancshares

In other Business First Bancshares news, COO Keith Mansfield sold 4,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.08, for a total value of $134,736.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 77,139 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,474,619.12. This trade represents a 5.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Donald Chad Carter sold 1,875 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.64, for a total transaction of $59,325.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 12,642 shares in the company, valued at $399,992.88. The trade was a 12.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 75,670 shares of company stock valued at $2,276,973 in the last quarter. Insiders own 5.67% of the company’s stock.

Business First Bancshares Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:BFST opened at $31.98 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.34 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.01. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $30.33 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $28.68. Business First Bancshares, Inc. has a 52-week low of $22.56 and a 52-week high of $32.39.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.71 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.70 by $0.01. Business First Bancshares had a net margin of 17.07% and a return on equity of 11.03%. The firm had revenue of $91.81 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $91.31 million. Analysts expect that Business First Bancshares, Inc. will post 3.02 EPS for the current year.

Business First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BFST has been the topic of several analyst reports. Stephens boosted their target price on Business First Bancshares from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. DA Davidson raised their price target on Business First Bancshares from $33.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Hovde Group lifted their price target on Business First Bancshares from $32.50 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Business First Bancshares in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $34.50.

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.