BancFirst Corporation (NASDAQ:BANF) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

BancFirst Corporation (NASDAQ:BANF) saw a large increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 951,381 shares, an increase of 19.3% from the February 12th total of 797,171 shares. Currently, 4.2% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 119,447 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 8.0 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 119,447 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 8.0 days. Currently, 4.2% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BancFirst

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Quarry LP increased its holdings in shares of BancFirst by 531.4% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 221 shares of the bank’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares during the period. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. bought a new position in BancFirst in the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in BancFirst by 47.5% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 295 shares of the bank’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of BancFirst in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of BancFirst in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. 51.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

BancFirst Stock Performance

BANF stock opened at $106.07 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $112.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $115.63. BancFirst has a 12-month low of $97.02 and a 12-month high of $138.77. The firm has a market cap of $3.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.90 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05.

BancFirst (NASDAQ:BANF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The bank reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $181.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $173.76 million. BancFirst had a return on equity of 13.68% and a net margin of 25.05%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that BancFirst will post 6.52 EPS for the current year.

BancFirst Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. BancFirst’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.53%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on BANF. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of BancFirst from $120.00 to $123.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. DA Davidson restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $125.00 price target on shares of BancFirst in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of BancFirst in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $124.00.

BancFirst Company Profile

BancFirst Corporation is a regional banking holding company based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. As the largest state‐chartered bank in Oklahoma, BancFirst offers a comprehensive suite of financial services to individuals, businesses and government entities. Its core business activities include commercial and consumer banking, mortgage lending, treasury management, equipment financing and electronic banking solutions.

The bank operates a network of more than 60 branches across Oklahoma, serving urban centers such as Oklahoma City and Tulsa, as well as rural communities throughout the state.