Nuveen LLC Takes Position in Business First Bancshares, Inc. $BFST

Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 61,205 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,490,000. Nuveen LLC owned about 0.21% of Business First Bancshares as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of BFST. Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 27.3% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 14,352 shares of the company’s stock valued at $369,000 after purchasing an additional 3,081 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 8.7% in the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 16,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $416,000 after purchasing an additional 1,300 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Business First Bancshares in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,362,000. Barclays PLC grew its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 9.4% in the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 51,205 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,315,000 after purchasing an additional 4,413 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Business First Bancshares by 16.6% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 17,982 shares of the company’s stock valued at $462,000 after buying an additional 2,554 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 47.35% of the company’s stock.

Business First Bancshares Stock Down 0.3%

NASDAQ BFST opened at $25.01 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $24.84 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $24.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02. Business First Bancshares, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $20.07 and a fifty-two week high of $30.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $740.30 million, a PE ratio of 9.96 and a beta of 0.85.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 28th. The company reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.01. Business First Bancshares had a return on equity of 11.21% and a net margin of 15.47%.The company had revenue of $103.01 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $78.94 million. Equities analysts expect that Business First Bancshares, Inc. will post 2.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Business First Bancshares Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, August 31st. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th were given a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 15th. Business First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.31%.

Insider Transactions at Business First Bancshares

In related news, Director John P. Ducrest bought 2,225 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 31st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $23.62 per share, with a total value of $52,554.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 13,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $323,971.92. This trade represents a 19.36% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 6.45% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on BFST. DA Davidson increased their price target on Business First Bancshares from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $30.00 price target on shares of Business First Bancshares in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Business First Bancshares has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $30.75.

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.