DA Davidson Has Bearish Estimate for BFST FY2026 Earnings

Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) – Research analysts at DA Davidson dropped their FY2026 earnings estimates for shares of Business First Bancshares in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, July 1st. DA Davidson analyst M. Navas now forecasts that the company will earn $3.00 per share for the year, down from their previous estimate of $3.05. The consensus estimate for Business First Bancshares’ current full-year earnings is $2.72 per share.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $79.21 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $77.54 million. Business First Bancshares had a net margin of 15.00% and a return on equity of 11.49%.

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

Business First Bancshares Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ BFST opened at $26.19 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $777.58 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.78 and a beta of 0.80. Business First Bancshares has a 12 month low of $20.07 and a 12 month high of $30.30. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $23.94 and its 200-day simple moving average is $24.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.99.

Business First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, May 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th were paid a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.14%. Business First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.05%.

Insider Transactions at Business First Bancshares

In related news, CFO Greg Robertson sold 1,086 shares of Business First Bancshares stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.72, for a total value of $25,759.92. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 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. Corporate insiders own 5.68% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Business First Bancshares

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Quadrant Capital Group LLC grew its stake in Business First Bancshares by 106.7% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,052 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 543 shares during the period. Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Business First Bancshares in the 4th quarter valued at $67,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Business First Bancshares in the 4th quarter valued at $85,000. Quantbot Technologies LP grew its stake in Business First Bancshares by 37.5% in the 4th quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 3,582 shares of the company’s stock valued at $92,000 after acquiring an additional 976 shares during the period. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in Business First Bancshares in the 4th quarter valued at $94,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.