UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Raises Holdings in Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in shares of Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) by 8.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 16,615 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,253 shares during the quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC’s holdings in Business First Bancshares were worth $427,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of BFST. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in Business First Bancshares by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 78,812 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,025,000 after purchasing an additional 3,809 shares during the period. MGB Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Business First Bancshares during the 4th quarter worth about $841,000. Americana Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Business First Bancshares during the 4th quarter worth about $317,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in Business First Bancshares by 32.8% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 121,344 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,119,000 after purchasing an additional 29,989 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Business First Bancshares by 13.2% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 222,158 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,709,000 after acquiring an additional 25,920 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 47.35% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Business First Bancshares

In other Business First Bancshares news, CFO Greg Robertson sold 1,086 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.72, for a total transaction of $25,759.92. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 69,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,642,254.20. This trade represents a 1.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 5.68% of the company’s stock.

Business First Bancshares Trading Down 0.6%

BFST opened at $24.22 on Thursday. Business First Bancshares, Inc. has a one year low of $18.97 and a one year high of $30.30. The company has a market cap of $719.21 million, a P/E ratio of 10.72 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 0.99. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $23.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $25.19.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $79.21 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $77.54 million. Business First Bancshares had a return on equity of 11.88% and a net margin of 14.19%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Business First Bancshares, Inc. will post 2.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Business First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, May 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th were given a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.31%. Business First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Stephens dropped their price objective on Business First Bancshares from $34.00 to $32.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Raymond James dropped their price objective on Business First Bancshares from $30.00 to $28.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th.

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.