Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC Buys 1,099 Shares of Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST)

Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFST) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 133,761 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,099 shares during the quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC owned 0.45% of Business First Bancshares worth $3,438,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in BFST. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its holdings in shares of Business First Bancshares by 921.9% during the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 295,275 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,580,000 after purchasing an additional 266,380 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Business First Bancshares by 194.8% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 196,238 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,037,000 after buying an additional 129,677 shares during the period. Fourthstone LLC acquired a new stake in Business First Bancshares during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,150,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in Business First Bancshares by 25.3% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 171,115 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,365,000 after buying an additional 34,602 shares during the period. Finally, Royce & Associates LP boosted its position in Business First Bancshares by 9.7% during the 3rd quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 384,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,862,000 after buying an additional 33,870 shares during the period. 47.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Business First Bancshares Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ BFST opened at $27.96 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $825.94 million, a P/E ratio of 12.37 and a beta of 1.00. Business First Bancshares, Inc. has a 52-week low of $18.97 and a 52-week high of $30.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 0.99. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $26.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $25.69.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The company reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.17. Business First Bancshares had a net margin of 14.19% and a return on equity of 11.88%. Equities analysts forecast that Business First Bancshares, Inc. will post 2.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Business First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Saturday, February 15th will be given a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.00%. Business First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.78%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Raymond James upgraded shares of Business First Bancshares from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $30.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Hovde Group upgraded shares of Business First Bancshares from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $31.50 to $33.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th.

Business First Bancshares Company Profile

Business First Bancshares, Inc operates as the bank holding company for b1BANK that provides various banking products and services in Louisiana and Texas. It offers various deposit products and services, including checking, demand, money market, time, and savings accounts; and certificates of deposits, remote deposit capture, and direct deposit services.