Bank First National (NASDAQ:BFC) Hits New 12-Month High After Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Bank First National Corporation (NASDAQ:BFC) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Friday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock traded as high as $141.09 and last traded at $139.3990, with a volume of 49564 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $135.82.

The company reported $2.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.25. The business had revenue of $49.68 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $43.75 million. Bank First National had a return on equity of 11.68% and a net margin of 29.31%.

Bank First National Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is an increase from Bank First National’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 25th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Bank First National’s payout ratio is currently 25.32%.

Key Headlines Impacting Bank First National

Here are the key news stories impacting Bank First National this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Reported Q4 beat — Bank First posted $2.00 EPS vs. a $1.75 consensus and revenue of $49.68M vs. $43.75M expected; margins and profitability were strong, which supports near-term share strength. Zacks: BFC Beats Q4
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend raised — the board declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.50/share (11.1% increase from $0.45). Record/ex-dividend timing announced (record Mar 25; pay Apr 8), which signals confidence in earnings and returns capital to shareholders. PR Newswire: Dividend & Net Income
• Positive Sentiment: Company-level results — PR Newswire/press materials show Q4 net income of $18.4M and full-year net income of $71.5M, with annual EPS of $7.23 and solid quarterly annualized ROA (~1.65%). These fundamentals back the earnings beat and dividend increase. PR Newswire: Net Income Details
• Neutral Sentiment: Higher trading interest — volume spiked well above average during the move, indicating increased investor attention; price sits near its 52-week high and above both the 50- and 200-day moving averages, which could limit further upside without continued catalyst.
• Negative Sentiment: Modest yield and valuation — the new dividend yields ~1.4% and the stock trades at a P/E around 19, which may temper interest from income-focused investors seeking higher yields.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on BFC. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of Bank First National from $137.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Bank First National from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Bank First National in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Hovde Group boosted their price objective on shares of Bank First National from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Bank First National currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $146.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bank First National

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. CWM LLC raised its position in Bank First National by 17.0% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 669 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey raised its holdings in Bank First National by 6.5% in the 2nd quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 2,098 shares of the company’s stock valued at $247,000 after buying an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in Bank First National by 22.5% in the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 816 shares of the company’s stock valued at $96,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Bank First National by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC now owns 7,199 shares of the company’s stock worth $934,000 after buying an additional 174 shares during the period. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in Bank First National by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 5,756 shares of the company’s stock worth $580,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 29.95% of the company’s stock.

Bank First National Stock Performance

The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $127.76 and its 200-day simple moving average is $126.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.99 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02.

Bank First National Company Profile

Bank First National Corporation (NASDAQ: BFC) is the bank holding company for Bank First National, a community bank headquartered in Princeton, Wisconsin. The company offers a comprehensive suite of financial services designed to meet the needs of individuals, families, small businesses and agricultural clients. Through its branch network and digital channels, Bank First National provides deposit accounts, consumer and commercial lending, mortgage financing and treasury management solutions.

The bank’s core deposit products include checking and savings accounts, money market funds and certificates of deposit, complemented by online and mobile banking platforms that enable customers to manage their finances remotely.