Business First Bancshares, Inc. (BFST) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.15 on August 31st

Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFSTGet Free Report) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, July 23rd. Investors of record on Saturday, August 15th will be given a dividend of 0.15 per share on Monday, August 31st. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th.

Business First Bancshares has increased its dividend by an average of 0.1%per year over the last three years and has raised its dividend every year for the last 2 years. Business First Bancshares has a payout ratio of 20.8% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect Business First Bancshares to earn $3.30 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.60 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 18.2%.

Business First Bancshares Price Performance

BFST stock opened at $31.98 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $30.33 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $28.68. The company has a market cap of $1.04 billion, a PE ratio of 11.34 and a beta of 0.78. Business First Bancshares has a 12-month low of $22.56 and a 12-month high of $32.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60.

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFSTGet Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.71 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70 by $0.01. Business First Bancshares had a return on equity of 11.03% and a net margin of 17.07%.The company had revenue of $91.81 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $91.31 million. As a group, research analysts predict that Business First Bancshares will post 3.02 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on BFST. Stephens raised their price target on Business First Bancshares from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Hovde Group increased their price target on Business First Bancshares from $32.50 to $36.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. DA Davidson boosted their target price on shares of Business First Bancshares from $33.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Business First Bancshares in a report on Monday, July 6th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Business First Bancshares presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $34.50.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Business First Bancshares

Business First Bancshares Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

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Dividend History for Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST)

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