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

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) had its target price raised by Stephens from $34.00 to $36.00 in a research report released on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $33.00 price objective on shares of Business First Bancshares in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Hovde Group raised their target price on Business First Bancshares from $32.50 to $36.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Business First Bancshares in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.00.

Business First Bancshares Price Performance

Business First Bancshares stock opened at $31.16 on Friday. Business First Bancshares has a fifty-two week low of $22.56 and a fifty-two week high of $31.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $29.39 and a 200 day moving average price of $28.25. The company has a market capitalization of $1.02 billion, a PE ratio of 11.05 and a beta of 0.78.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70 by $0.01. Business First Bancshares had a return on equity of 11.31% and a net margin of 17.07%.The company had revenue of $91.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $91.31 million. Research analysts expect that Business First Bancshares will post 3.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Business First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Shareholders of record on Saturday, August 15th will be given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. Business First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.28%.

Insider Activity at Business First Bancshares

In other Business First Bancshares news, Director George W. Cummings III sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.54, for a total value of $428,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 281,180 shares in the company, valued at $8,024,877.20. The trade was a 5.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 36,595 shares of company stock valued at $1,031,732 in the last three months. Insiders own 5.67% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Business First Bancshares by 115.4% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 38,485 shares of the company’s stock worth $937,000 after purchasing an additional 20,620 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in Business First Bancshares by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 14,343 shares of the company’s stock worth $349,000 after purchasing an additional 624 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC raised its position in Business First Bancshares by 1,532.5% in the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 159,481 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,883,000 after purchasing an additional 149,712 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in Business First Bancshares by 8.4% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 85,408 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,080,000 after purchasing an additional 6,596 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Business First Bancshares in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,150,000. 47.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Business First Bancshares News Roundup

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

Business First Bancshares Company Profile

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.