Business First Bancshares (BFST) to Release Earnings on Thursday

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) is expected to release its Q3 2025 results after the market closes on Thursday, October 23rd. Analysts expect Business First Bancshares to post earnings of $0.69 per share and revenue of $80.4980 million for the quarter. Interested persons can find conference call details on the company’s upcoming Q3 2025 earningreport page for the latest details on the call scheduled for Thursday, October 23, 2025 at 5:00 PM ET.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 28th. The company reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $103.01 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $78.94 million. On average, analysts expect Business First Bancshares to post $3 EPS for the current fiscal year and $3 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Business First Bancshares Trading Down 0.4%

NASDAQ:BFST opened at $23.86 on Thursday. Business First Bancshares has a twelve month low of $20.07 and a twelve month high of $30.30. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $24.21 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $24.06. The company has a market cap of $706.26 million, a P/E ratio of 9.51 and a beta of 0.86.

Business First Bancshares Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, August 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th were issued a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 15th. Business First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.31%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. DA Davidson increased their price objective on Business First Bancshares from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $30.00 price objective on shares of Business First Bancshares in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Business First Bancshares in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $30.75.

Insider Transactions at Business First Bancshares

In other Business First Bancshares news, Director John P. Ducrest purchased 2,225 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 31st. The stock was acquired at an average price of $23.62 per share, with a total value of $52,554.50. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 13,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $323,971.92. This trade represents a 19.36% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 5.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Business First Bancshares

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BFST. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Business First Bancshares by 115.4% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 38,485 shares of the company’s stock valued at $937,000 after purchasing an additional 20,620 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in Business First Bancshares by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 14,343 shares of the company’s stock valued at $349,000 after purchasing an additional 624 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its position in Business First Bancshares by 1,532.5% during the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 159,481 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,883,000 after buying an additional 149,712 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in Business First Bancshares by 8.4% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 85,408 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,080,000 after buying an additional 6,596 shares during the period. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in Business First Bancshares during the 1st quarter worth $1,150,000. 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.