Business First Bancshares Inc (NASDAQ: BFST) has a higher price-to-earnings ratio of 10.76x compared to its average ratio, The 36-month beta value for BFST is at 0.84. Analysts have varying views on the stock, with 4 analysts rating it as a “buy”, 1 rating it as “overweight”, 0 as “hold”, and 0 as “sell”.
The public float for BFST is 27.83M, and currently, shorts hold a 0.96% of that float. The average trading volume for BFST on July 04, 2025 was 111.91K shares.
BFST stock’s latest price update
The stock price of Business First Bancshares Inc (NASDAQ: BFST) has jumped by 1.04% compared to previous close of $25.92. Despite this, the company has seen a gain of 6.33% in its stock price over the last five trading days. globenewswire.com reported 2025-07-02 that BATON ROUGE, La., July 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Business First Bancshares, Inc. (Nasdaq: BFST), the parent company of b1BANK, announced today that it is scheduled to release its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2025, before market open on Monday, July 28, 2025, at 7:00 a.m. CST. Executive management will host a conference call and webcast to discuss results on the same day (Monday, July 28, 2025) at 9:00 a.m. CST.
BFST’s Market Performance
Business First Bancshares Inc (BFST) has seen a 6.33% rise in stock performance for the week, with a 10.97% gain in the past month and a 5.90% surge in the past quarter. The volatility ratio for the week is 2.87%, and the volatility levels for the past 30 days are at 2.52% for BFST. The simple moving average for the past 20 days is 8.59% for BFST’s stock, with a 3.03% simple moving average for the past 200 days.
Analysts’ Opinion of BFST
Many brokerage firms have already submitted their reports for BFST stocks, with Hovde Group repeating the rating for BFST by listing it as a “Outperform”. The predicted price for BFST in the upcoming period, according to Hovde Group is $33 based on the research report published on January 24, 2025 of the current year 2025.
Raymond James, on the other hand, stated in their research note that they expect to see BFST reach a price target of $30. The rating they have provided for BFST stocks is “Outperform” according to the report published on December 19th, 2024.
Hovde Group gave a rating of “Outperform” to BFST, setting the target price at $30 in the report published on July 26th of the previous year.
BFST Trading at 9.39% from the 50-Day Moving Average
After a stumble in the market that brought BFST to its low price for the period of the last 52 weeks, the company was unable to rebound, for now settling with -13.56% of loss for the given period.
Volatility was left at 2.52%, however, over the last 30 days, the volatility rate increased by 2.87%, as shares surge +12.65% for the moving average over the last 20 days. Over the last 50 days, in opposition, the stock is trading +12.65% upper at present.
During the last 5 trading sessions, BFST rose by +6.33%, which changed the moving average for the period of 200-days by +2.18% in comparison to the 20-day moving average, which settled at $24.12. In addition, Business First Bancshares Inc saw 21.76% in overturn over a single year, with a tendency to cut further gains.
Insider Trading
Reports are indicating that there were more than several insider trading activities at BFST starting from MCCOLLISTER ROLFE H. JR., who purchase 680 shares at the price of $23.40 back on Jun 06 ’25. After this action, MCCOLLISTER ROLFE H. JR. now owns 92,960 shares of Business First Bancshares Inc, valued at $15,912 using the latest closing price.
ROBERTSON GREG, the EVP and CFO of Business First Bancshares Inc, sale 1,086 shares at $23.72 during a trade that took place back on May 29 ’25, which means that ROBERTSON GREG is holding 69,235 shares at $25,760 based on the most recent closing price.
Stock Fundamentals for BFST
Current profitability levels for the company are sitting at:
- 0.19% for the present operating margin
- 0.58% for the gross margin
The net margin for Business First Bancshares Inc stands at 0.15%. The total capital return value is set at 0.07%. Equity return is now at value 9.77%, with 1.00% for asset returns.
Based on Business First Bancshares Inc (BFST), the company’s capital structure generated 0.34 points at debt to capital in total, while cash flow to debt ratio is standing at 0.19. The debt to equity ratio resting at 0.53. The interest coverage ratio of the stock is 0.48.
Currently, EBITDA for the company is 88.31 million with net debt to EBITDA at 1.25. When we switch over and look at the enterprise to sales, we see a ratio of 1.88. The receivables turnover for the company is 14.17for trailing twelve months and the total asset turnover is 0.06. The liquidity ratio also appears to be rather interesting for investors as it stands at 0.21.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Business First Bancshares Inc (BFST) has had a better performance lately. Opinion on the stock among analysts is bullish, with some giving it a “buy” rating and others a “hold”. It is worth mentioning that the stock is currently trading in close proximity to its 50-day moving average and its 52-week high.
