Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) Short Interest Up 9.9% in September

Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) saw a significant growth in short interest in September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 175,800 shares, a growth of 9.9% from the August 31st total of 159,900 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 84,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.1 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Transactions at Business First Bancshares

In related news, insider Warren Mcdonald sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.68, for a total value of $37,020.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 19,095 shares in the company, valued at $471,264.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In related news, EVP Saundra Strong sold 6,300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.32, for a total value of $159,516.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,275 shares in the company, valued at $285,483. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Warren Mcdonald sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.68, for a total transaction of $37,020.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 19,095 shares in the company, valued at $471,264.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 14,906 shares of company stock worth $377,392. Corporate insiders own 6.45% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Business First Bancshares

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new position in Business First Bancshares during the second quarter worth $106,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Business First Bancshares during the second quarter worth $116,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in Business First Bancshares by 75.8% during the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 11,608 shares of the company’s stock worth $259,000 after purchasing an additional 5,004 shares during the last quarter. Argent Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Business First Bancshares by 4.0% during the second quarter. Argent Advisors Inc. now owns 12,949 shares of the company’s stock worth $282,000 after purchasing an additional 497 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC boosted 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 worth $323,000 after purchasing an additional 771 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 47.35% of the company’s stock.

Business First Bancshares Trading Down 0.4 %

NASDAQ:BFST traded down $0.10 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $25.23. The stock had a trading volume of 32,471 shares, compared to its average volume of 61,831. Business First Bancshares has a one year low of $17.90 and a one year high of $26.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98. The company has a market cap of $643.42 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.93 and a beta of 0.97. The business’s 50 day moving average is $24.12 and its 200-day moving average is $22.24.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.51 by $0.13. Business First Bancshares had a net margin of 15.90% and a return on equity of 12.19%. The company had revenue of $112.05 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $63.16 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.70 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Business First Bancshares will post 2.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Business First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, August 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 15th were given a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.22%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 15th. Business First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is 22.05%.

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.