Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) Announces Earnings Results

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The company reported $0.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.11, Zacks reports. The business had revenue of $113.52 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $65.24 million. Business First Bancshares had a net margin of 15.90% and a return on equity of 12.19%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.71 EPS.

Business First Bancshares Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ BFST traded up $0.63 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $25.67. 33,350 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 61,042. The company has a market capitalization of $654.64 million, a P/E ratio of 10.15 and a beta of 0.97. Business First Bancshares has a 1 year low of $18.43 and a 1 year high of $26.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The company’s 50-day moving average is $24.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $22.68.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Hovde Group boosted their target price on Business First Bancshares from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $26.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Warren Mcdonald sold 1,500 shares of Business First Bancshares stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.68, for a total value of $37,020.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 19,095 shares in the company, valued at approximately $471,264.60. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Director Joseph Vernon Johnson sold 5,574 shares of Business First Bancshares stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.38, for a total transaction of $141,468.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 213,357 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,415,000.66. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Warren Mcdonald sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.68, for a total transaction of $37,020.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 19,095 shares in the company, valued at $471,264.60. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 14,906 shares of company stock valued at $377,392 over the last ninety days. 6.45% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Business First Bancshares Company Profile

Business First Bancshares, Inc operates as the bank holding company for b1BANK that provides various banking products and services in Louisiana and Texas. It offers various deposit products and services, including checking, demand, money market, time, and savings accounts; and certificates of deposits, remote deposit capture, and direct deposit services.