Renaissance Technologies LLC Sells 800 Shares of Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST)

Renaissance Technologies LLC lowered its holdings in Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) by 5.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 13,700 shares of the company’s stock after selling 800 shares during the quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC’s holdings in Business First Bancshares were worth $298,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased 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 valued at $259,000 after buying an additional 5,004 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of Business First Bancshares by 8.0% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 66,211 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,475,000 after acquiring an additional 4,900 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in shares of Business First Bancshares by 5.6% in the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 14,506 shares of the company’s stock valued at $323,000 after acquiring an additional 771 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 6.1% in the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 201,149 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,482,000 after acquiring an additional 11,506 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co grew its stake in Business First Bancshares by 2,249.7% in the first 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. Institutional investors own 47.35% of the company’s stock.

Business First Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of BFST opened at $25.22 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market cap of $643.11 million, a PE ratio of 10.38 and a beta of 0.97. Business First Bancshares, Inc. has a 12 month low of $17.90 and a 12 month high of $26.85. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $24.00 and a 200-day moving average price of $22.40.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.13. Business First Bancshares had a return on equity of 12.19% and a net margin of 15.90%. The company had revenue of $112.05 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $63.16 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.70 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Business First Bancshares, Inc. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Business First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, August 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, August 15th were paid a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.22%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 15th. Business First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.05%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Business First Bancshares news, insider Warren Mcdonald sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 19,095 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $471,264.60. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Business First Bancshares news, insider Warren Mcdonald sold 1,500 shares of the business’s 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 sale, 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Joseph Vernon Johnson sold 5,574 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.38, for a total value of $141,468.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 14,906 shares of company stock valued at $377,392. Insiders own 6.45% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Hovde Group increased their price target on shares of Business First Bancshares from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $26.67.

About Business First Bancshares

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.