Bank First National (NASDAQ:BFC) Downgraded to Hold Rating by Zacks Research

Zacks Research cut shares of Bank First National (NASDAQ:BFC) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Thursday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on BFC. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Bank First National from $142.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Bank First National in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Bank First National from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. Finally, Scotiabank upgraded shares of Bank First National to a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Bank First National presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $150.00.

Bank First National Price Performance

NASDAQ:BFC opened at $131.93 on Thursday. Bank First National has a 52-week low of $93.00 and a 52-week high of $152.99. The company has a market cap of $1.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.25 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.00. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $139.06 and its 200 day simple moving average is $131.00.

Bank First National (NASDAQ:BFC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.25. Bank First National had a return on equity of 11.61% and a net margin of 29.31%.The company had revenue of $49.68 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $43.75 million. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Bank First National will post 6.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bank First National Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th will be given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 25th. This is a boost from Bank First National’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Bank First National’s payout ratio is currently 27.66%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Steven M. Eldred sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.95, for a total value of $1,215,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 125,680 shares in the company, valued at $19,097,076. The trade was a 5.98% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 3.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bank First National

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in shares of Bank First National by 2,452,855.0% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 490,591 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,764,000 after acquiring an additional 490,571 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Bank First National during the fourth quarter worth $6,340,000. First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Bank First National by 112.1% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 66,620 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,116,000 after purchasing an additional 35,214 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Bank First National by 41.7% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 107,025 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,983,000 after buying an additional 31,510 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rafferty Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Bank First National during the 3rd quarter valued at $2,993,000. Institutional investors own 29.95% of the company’s stock.

About Bank First National

Bank First National Corporation (NASDAQ: BFC) is the bank holding company for Bank First National, a community bank headquartered in Princeton, Wisconsin. The company offers a comprehensive suite of financial services designed to meet the needs of individuals, families, small businesses and agricultural clients. Through its branch network and digital channels, Bank First National provides deposit accounts, consumer and commercial lending, mortgage financing and treasury management solutions.

The bank’s core deposit products include checking and savings accounts, money market funds and certificates of deposit, complemented by online and mobile banking platforms that enable customers to manage their finances remotely.