Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 164,600 shares, a growth of 7.2% from the May 31st total of 153,600 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 47,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.5 days.

Business First Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ BFST opened at $21.24 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $20.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $21.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The company has a market cap of $541.62 million, a PE ratio of 8.36 and a beta of 0.98. Business First Bancshares has a 52-week low of $14.39 and a 52-week high of $25.57.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.57 by ($0.07). Business First Bancshares had a net margin of 17.08% and a return on equity of 12.80%. The company had revenue of $60.92 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $61.93 million. As a group, analysts anticipate that Business First Bancshares will post 2.03 EPS for the current year.

Business First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 15th were issued a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.64%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 14th. Business First Bancshares’s payout ratio is currently 22.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Business First Bancshares

In related news, Director Rick D. Day bought 1,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $20.30 per share, with a total value of $36,540.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 262,785 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,334,535.50. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 6.45% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Business First Bancshares

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 2,249.7% during the 1st quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 22,346 shares of the company’s stock valued at $499,000 after purchasing an additional 21,395 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in Business First Bancshares by 6.1% during the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 201,149 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,482,000 after buying an additional 11,506 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in Business First Bancshares by 5.6% during the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 14,506 shares of the company’s stock valued at $323,000 after buying an additional 771 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in Business First Bancshares by 8.0% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 66,211 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,475,000 after acquiring an additional 4,900 shares during the period. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in shares of Business First Bancshares by 75.8% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 11,608 shares of the company’s stock worth $259,000 after acquiring an additional 5,004 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 47.35% of the company’s stock.

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.