George Cummings III Sells 11,595 Shares of Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) Stock

Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) Director George Cummings III sold 11,595 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.92, for a total transaction of $323,732.40. Following the transaction, the director owned 296,180 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,269,345.60. This trade represents a 3.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Business First Bancshares Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of BFST traded up $0.11 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $28.24. 206,362 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 177,883. Business First Bancshares, Inc. has a 1-year low of $22.51 and a 1-year high of $30.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The company has a market capitalization of $922.88 million, a PE ratio of 10.01 and a beta of 0.79. The business has a 50 day moving average of $27.55 and a 200 day moving average of $27.26.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 27th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.04. Business First Bancshares had a net margin of 17.02% and a return on equity of 11.10%. The firm had revenue of $89.25 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $90.99 million. Equities research analysts anticipate that Business First Bancshares, Inc. will post 3 EPS for the current year.

Business First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Business First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is 21.28%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Business First Bancshares

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of BFST. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in Business First Bancshares by 255.8% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 441,853 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,948,000 after buying an additional 317,650 shares during the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP boosted its position in Business First Bancshares by 27.0% in the 4th quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 823,364 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,523,000 after purchasing an additional 175,284 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its position in Business First Bancshares by 1,532.5% in the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 159,481 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,883,000 after purchasing an additional 149,712 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in Business First Bancshares by 467.0% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 107,684 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,542,000 after purchasing an additional 88,693 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Business First Bancshares by 7.5% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,165,720 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,520,000 after purchasing an additional 81,833 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 47.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BFST has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Stephens set a $33.00 price objective on shares of Business First Bancshares in a report on Monday, April 27th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Business First Bancshares from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $33.00 target price on shares of Business First Bancshares in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $32.33.

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.