Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) Price Target Raised to $36.00 at Stephens

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) had its price target lifted by Stephens from $34.00 to $36.00 in a research note released on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the stock.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on BFST. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $33.00 price target on shares of Business First Bancshares in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Business First Bancshares in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Hovde Group increased their target price on Business First Bancshares from $32.50 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Business First Bancshares has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $34.00.

Business First Bancshares Price Performance

BFST opened at $31.16 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $29.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $28.24. Business First Bancshares has a 12 month low of $22.56 and a 12 month high of $31.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The stock has a market cap of $1.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.05 and a beta of 0.78.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.71 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $91.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $91.31 million. On average, research analysts expect that Business First Bancshares will post 3.03 EPS for the current year.

Business First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at Business First Bancshares

In other Business First Bancshares news, Director George W. Cummings III sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.54, for a total value of $428,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 281,180 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,024,877.20. This trade represents a 5.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders sold a total of 36,595 shares of company stock valued at $1,031,732 in the last 90 days. 5.67% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Business First Bancshares by 15,600.0% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,099 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 1,092 shares in the last quarter. FWL Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Business First Bancshares during the third quarter worth about $42,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in Business First Bancshares by 389.7% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,669 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 2,124 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its position in Business First Bancshares by 36.5% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,446 shares of the company’s stock worth $116,000 after purchasing an additional 1,188 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Virtus Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Business First Bancshares in the third quarter valued at approximately $123,000. 47.35% of the stock is 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.