Research Analysts Offer Predictions for BFST Q3 Earnings

Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) – Stock analysts at DA Davidson issued their Q3 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Business First Bancshares in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, October 20th. DA Davidson analyst G. Tenner expects that the company will post earnings per share of $0.69 for the quarter. DA Davidson currently has a “Strong-Buy” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Business First Bancshares’ current full-year earnings is $2.72 per share. DA Davidson also issued estimates for Business First Bancshares’ FY2025 earnings at $2.75 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $3.20 EPS.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Business First Bancshares in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $30.00 price objective on shares of Business First Bancshares in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $30.75.

Business First Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ BFST opened at $23.39 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $24.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $24.04. The stock has a market cap of $692.34 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.32 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. Business First Bancshares has a 12 month low of $20.07 and a 12 month high of $30.30.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last issued its 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 firm had revenue of $103.01 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $78.94 million.

Institutional Trading of Business First Bancshares

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CWM LLC boosted its position in shares of Business First Bancshares by 160.2% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,469 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 1,520 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in shares of Business First Bancshares by 389.7% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,669 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,000 after acquiring an additional 2,124 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Business First Bancshares during the 2nd quarter valued at $72,000. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. grew its position in Business First Bancshares by 22.8% in the 2nd quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 2,908 shares of the company’s stock valued at $72,000 after acquiring an additional 540 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP grew its position in Business First Bancshares by 15.2% in the 1st quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 4,128 shares of the company’s stock valued at $101,000 after acquiring an additional 546 shares during the last quarter. 47.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director John P. Ducrest acquired 2,225 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 31st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $23.62 per share, for a total transaction of $52,554.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 13,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $323,971.92. The trade was a 19.36% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 5.68% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.