Bank First National (NASDAQ:BFC) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Bank First National Corporation (NASDAQ:BFC) saw an uptick in trading volume on Friday . 74,971 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 12% from the previous session’s volume of 84,942 shares.The stock last traded at $136.6850 and had previously closed at $134.72.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BFC has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Bank First National from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 14th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Bank First National from $142.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Zacks Research raised shares of Bank First National from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Bank First National in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Scotiabank upgraded shares of Bank First National to a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. One research 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $150.00.

Bank First National Stock Performance

The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $137.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $130.75. The firm has a market cap of $1.52 billion, a PE ratio of 18.73 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02.

Bank First National (NASDAQ:BFC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.00 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $49.68 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $43.75 million. Bank First National had a return on equity of 11.61% and a net margin of 29.31%. On average, research analysts forecast that Bank First National Corporation will post 6.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bank First National Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 25th. This is a positive change from Bank First National’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Bank First National’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.66%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Steven M. Eldred sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.95, for a total transaction of $1,215,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 125,680 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,097,076. This represents a 5.98% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 3.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bank First National

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in Bank First National by 920.0% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 204 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in shares of Bank First National by 95.5% in the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 305 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Bank First National by 406.8% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 370 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue purchased a new position in shares of Bank First National during the 3rd quarter worth about $48,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. bought a new position in Bank First National during the 3rd quarter valued at about $94,000. Institutional investors own 29.95% of the company’s stock.

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.