Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) Given New $36.00 Price Target at Hovde Group

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) had its price objective raised by Hovde Group from $32.50 to $36.00 in a research report released on Friday morning, MarketBeat reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the stock.

BFST has been the topic of a number of other reports. DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and issued a $33.00 target price on shares of Business First Bancshares in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Stephens set a $33.00 price target on Business First Bancshares in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Business First Bancshares in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Business First Bancshares currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $34.00.

Business First Bancshares Trading Up 2.3%

BFST stock opened at $31.16 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $29.39 and a 200 day moving average price of $28.24. Business First Bancshares has a fifty-two week low of $22.56 and a fifty-two week high of $31.57. The firm has a market cap of $1.02 billion, a PE ratio of 11.05 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70 by $0.01. Business First Bancshares had a net margin of 17.07% and a return on equity of 11.31%. The company had revenue of $91.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $91.31 million. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Business First Bancshares will post 3.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Business First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Shareholders of record on Saturday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. Business First Bancshares’s payout ratio is 21.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Business First Bancshares

In other news, Director George W. Cummings III sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.54, for a total value of $428,100.00. Following the sale, the director owned 281,180 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,024,877.20. This represents a 5.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders have sold a total of 36,595 shares of company stock valued at $1,031,732 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 5.67% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Business First Bancshares

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Business First Bancshares by 1.1% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,591,098 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,566,000 after purchasing an additional 17,690 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Business First Bancshares by 7.5% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,165,720 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,520,000 after buying an additional 81,833 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its stake in shares of Business First Bancshares by 0.4% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 989,686 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,761,000 after buying an additional 3,540 shares during the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP raised its holdings in shares of Business First Bancshares by 27.0% in the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 823,364 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,523,000 after buying an additional 175,284 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Business First Bancshares by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 731,206 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,119,000 after buying an additional 14,576 shares during the period. 47.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Business First Bancshares News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Business First Bancshares this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Business First reported Q2 EPS of $0.71, slightly ahead of Wall Street’s $0.70 estimate, while revenue of $91.0 million came in roughly in line; investors also saw solid profitability metrics, including a 17.02% net margin and 11.10% return on equity. Business First Bancshares earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Stephens raised its price target on BFST from $34 to $36 and reiterated an overweight rating, signaling confidence in additional upside. Stephens price target raise
• Positive Sentiment: Hovde Group also lifted its target from $32.50 to $36 and maintained an outperform rating, reinforcing the bullish post-earnings tone. Hovde Group price target raise
• Positive Sentiment: The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share, which supports the stock’s income appeal for shareholders. Business First Bancshares Q2 2026 results and dividend announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector commentary has also been constructive, with regional banks broadly reporting solid loan and deposit growth and improved credit quality, which adds a favorable backdrop for BFST. Zacks BFST Q2 metrics analysis

About Business First Bancshares

Business First Bancshares, Inc is the bank holding company for Business First Bank, a regional community bank headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, the company provides a full suite of commercial and retail banking services to small and medium-sized businesses, professionals and individual consumers. Business First Bancshares operates under a community-focused model, emphasizing personalized service, local decision-making and relationship banking.

The company’s primary business activities include commercial lending, treasury and cash management, and deposit services.