What is DA Davidson’s Forecast for BFST FY2024 Earnings?

Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) – DA Davidson raised their FY2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Business First Bancshares in a research note issued on Monday, October 28th. DA Davidson analyst M. Navas now expects that the company will earn $2.17 per share for the year, up from their previous estimate of $2.07. The consensus estimate for Business First Bancshares’ current full-year earnings is $2.14 per share. DA Davidson also issued estimates for Business First Bancshares’ FY2025 earnings at $2.70 EPS.

Separately, Hovde Group upped 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.

Business First Bancshares Trading Up 2.5 %

Business First Bancshares stock opened at $27.13 on Tuesday. Business First Bancshares has a 12-month low of $18.97 and a 12-month high of $27.72. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $691.87 million, a PE ratio of 11.69 and a beta of 0.97. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $25.07 and a 200-day simple moving average of $22.87.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $0.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $113.52 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 prior year, the company posted $0.71 earnings per share.

Business First Bancshares Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, November 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Business First Bancshares’s payout ratio is 24.14%.

Insider Activity

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 shares were sold at an average price of $24.68, for a total value of $37,020.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 19,095 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $471,264.60. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 6.45% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Business First Bancshares

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Business First Bancshares during the second quarter valued at $106,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Business First Bancshares during the second quarter valued at about $116,000. KG&L Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Business First Bancshares during the third quarter valued at about $227,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in shares of Business First Bancshares by 75.8% in the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 11,608 shares of the company’s stock worth $259,000 after buying an additional 5,004 shares during the period. Finally, Argent Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 4.0% in the second quarter. Argent Advisors Inc. now owns 12,949 shares of the company’s stock worth $282,000 after acquiring an additional 497 shares in the last quarter. 47.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.