BancFirst (NASDAQ:BANF) Raised to Hold at Wall Street Zen

BancFirst (NASDAQ:BANF) was upgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Saturday.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on BANF. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of BancFirst from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of BancFirst in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, BancFirst currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $124.00.

BancFirst Stock Up 1.4%

BancFirst stock opened at $116.58 on Friday. BancFirst has a fifty-two week low of $101.48 and a fifty-two week high of $138.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.04. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $112.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $112.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.73 and a beta of 0.59.

BancFirst (NASDAQ:BANF) last posted its earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The bank reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $187.49 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $178.53 million. BancFirst had a net margin of 25.50% and a return on equity of 13.64%. Analysts predict that BancFirst will post 7.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at BancFirst

In related news, Director David E. Rainbolt sold 9,001 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.11, for a total value of $1,036,105.11. Following the transaction, the director owned 166,783 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,198,391.13. This trade represents a 5.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 40,040 shares of company stock worth $4,619,565. 31.67% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BancFirst

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BANF. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of BancFirst by 1,012.1% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 11,722 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,243,000 after acquiring an additional 10,668 shares in the last quarter. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of BancFirst in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,039,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of BancFirst during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,723,000. Verition Fund Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of BancFirst by 30.8% during the 4th quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 168,591 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $17,874,000 after buying an additional 39,672 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Plan Group Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of BancFirst during the fourth quarter worth approximately $768,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 51.72% of the company’s stock.

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.