BancFirst (NASDAQ:BANF) Announces Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.03 EPS

BancFirst (NASDAQ:BANF) released its earnings results on Thursday. The bank reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.78 by ($0.03), Zacks reports. BancFirst had a net margin of 25.13% and a return on equity of 13.97%.

BancFirst Stock Performance

BancFirst stock traded up $1.42 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $117.36. 108,689 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 111,185. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $110.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $119.78. The firm has a market cap of $3.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.65 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02. BancFirst has a 52 week low of $97.02 and a 52 week high of $138.77.

BancFirst Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st were issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. BancFirst’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.80%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in BANF. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its stake in BancFirst by 37.6% in the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 3,329 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $414,000 after acquiring an additional 910 shares during the period. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its position in BancFirst by 292.3% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 3,872 shares of the bank’s stock worth $438,000 after purchasing an additional 2,885 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of BancFirst by 32.7% in the second quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 3,963 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $490,000 after purchasing an additional 976 shares during the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of BancFirst by 42.5% in the third quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 5,597 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $708,000 after purchasing an additional 1,668 shares during the period. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its position in shares of BancFirst by 152.1% in the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 6,754 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $835,000 after purchasing an additional 4,075 shares during the period. 51.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on shares of BancFirst from $132.00 to $120.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of BancFirst from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of BancFirst in a report on Monday, December 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, BancFirst has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $128.00.

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.