BancFirst (NASDAQ:BANF) Rating Lowered to “Sell” at StockNews.com

BancFirst (NASDAQ:BANF) was downgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a note issued to investors on Friday.

BancFirst Stock Down 1.7 %

NASDAQ:BANF traded down $1.71 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $100.43. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 148,145 shares, compared to its average volume of 98,976. BancFirst has a one year low of $81.21 and a one year high of $132.29. The business’s 50-day moving average is $114.85 and its 200-day moving average is $115.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The company has a market cap of $3.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.59 and a beta of 0.82.

BancFirst (NASDAQ:BANF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The bank reported $1.68 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.07. BancFirst had a return on equity of 14.21% and a net margin of 23.52%. Equities research analysts predict that BancFirst will post 6.52 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director William Scott Martin sold 10,000 shares of BancFirst stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.13, for a total transaction of $1,191,300.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 214,499 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,553,265.87. This trade represents a 4.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director F Ford Drummond sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.58, for a total value of $602,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $723,480. This trade represents a 45.45 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 25,000 shares of company stock valued at $2,994,350. 33.89% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BancFirst

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BANF. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of BancFirst by 155.3% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 314 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in BancFirst by 779.4% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 554 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 491 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC grew its stake in shares of BancFirst by 11.5% in the 4th quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 862 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $101,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new position in shares of BancFirst in the 4th quarter worth approximately $135,000. Finally, KBC Group NV lifted its position in shares of BancFirst by 85.6% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,162 shares of the bank’s stock worth $136,000 after buying an additional 536 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 51.72% of the company’s stock.

About BancFirst

BancFirst Corporation operates as the bank holding company for BancFirst that provides a range of commercial banking services to retail customers, and small to medium-sized businesses. The company operates through BancFirst Metropolitan Banks, BancFirst Community Banks, Pegasus, Worthington, and Other Financial Services segments.