Bank First National (NASDAQ:BFC) Lowered to Strong Sell Rating by Zacks Research

Zacks Research lowered shares of Bank First National (NASDAQ:BFC) from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Bank First National to a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Bank First National from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Bank First National from $150.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Bank First National from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $153.50.

Bank First National Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:BFC traded down $2.55 on Thursday, hitting $142.76. The stock had a trading volume of 153,775 shares, compared to its average volume of 87,019. Bank First National has a twelve month low of $109.11 and a twelve month high of $152.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.00. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $138.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $133.39. The company has a market capitalization of $1.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.86 and a beta of 0.44.

Bank First National (NASDAQ:BFC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The company reported $2.24 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.40 by ($0.16). The firm had revenue of $74.28 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $65.70 million. Bank First National had a net margin of 27.49% and a return on equity of 12.79%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.82 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Bank First National will post 9.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Bank First National Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 24th will be given a dividend of $0.55 per share. This is a positive change from Bank First National’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 24th. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. Bank First National’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.82%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Michael S. Stayer-Suprick acquired 225 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 21st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $140.04 per share, with a total value of $31,509.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 4,597 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $643,763.88. This trade represents a 5.15% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Todd A. Sprang acquired 450 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 22nd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $138.96 per share, with a total value of $62,532.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 2,015 shares in the company, valued at approximately $280,004.40. The trade was a 28.75% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Company insiders own 3.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Bank First National

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Macco Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Bank First National during the 1st quarter worth about $293,000. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA bought a new stake in Bank First National during the 1st quarter worth about $206,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its holdings in 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 last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC raised its holdings in Bank First National by 54.4% during the 4th quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 3,396 shares of the company’s stock worth $414,000 after purchasing an additional 1,196 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in Bank First National by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 13,769 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,677,000 after purchasing an additional 433 shares during the last quarter. 29.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.