Business First Bancshares, Inc.

NasdaqGS:BFST Stock Report

Market Cap: US$955.5m

Business First Bancshares Dividends and Buybacks

Dividend criteria checks 2/6

Business First Bancshares is a dividend paying company with a current yield of 2.09% that is well covered by earnings.

Key information

2.1%

Dividend yield

0.7%

Buyback Yield

Total Shareholder Yield2.8%
Future Dividend Yield2.2%
Dividend Growth11.5%
Next dividend pay daten/a
Ex dividend daten/a
Dividend per sharen/a
Payout ratio21%

Recent dividend and buyback updates

Analysis Article Jan 30

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) Is Due To Pay A Dividend Of $0.15

Business First Bancshares, Inc.'s ( NASDAQ:BFST ) investors are due to receive a payment of $0.15 per share on 15th of...

Recent updates

Narrative Update Jun 02

BFST: Future Re Rating Will Depend On Subordinated Notes Deployment

Analysts have trimmed their price target on Business First Bancshares by $1, citing updated assumptions around fair value, discount rate, revenue growth, profit margin and future P/E that slightly lower their valuation framework. What's in the News From January 1, 2026 to March 31, 2026, Business First Bancshares repurchased 99,105 shares, representing 0.34% of shares, for $2.7 million under its existing buyback program.
Narrative Update Apr 24

BFST: Future Re Rating Will Rely On Subordinated Notes Capital Execution

Analysts have raised their price target on Business First Bancshares by $1 to $32.60, citing updated assumptions around the discount rate, revenue growth, profit margin, and future P/E as support for the revised view. Analyst Commentary Bullish analysts see the updated $32.60 target as a reasonable reflection of refreshed assumptions, with the revised discount rate, revenue outlook, profit margin expectations, and future P/E estimate now better aligned with their current view of Business First Bancshares.
Narrative Update Apr 09

BFST: Future Re Rating Hinges On Oakwood Progressive Deals Execution

Analysts have nudged their price target on Business First Bancshares up by $1, reflecting updated views on fair value, discount rate, revenue growth, profit margin, and future P/E assumptions. Analyst Commentary Bullish Takeaways Bullish analysts see the higher price target as better aligning the stock with their updated fair value work, based on refreshed assumptions around revenue, margins, and P/E.
Narrative Update Mar 25

BFST: Oakwood And Progressive Deals Will Drive Future Re Rating Potential

Analysts raised their price targets on Business First Bancshares by about $1 to $31, citing expectations for relatively solid balance sheet growth, benefits from the Oakwood and Progressive deals, and solid profitability, along with what they view as a discounted valuation versus peers. Analyst Commentary Recent research updates cluster around a similar message, with bullish analysts lifting price targets to $31 and pointing to what they see as a favorable balance between growth opportunities and current valuation.
Narrative Update Mar 11

BFST: Oakwood And Progressive Deals Will Support Future Re Rating Potential

Analysts have raised their price targets on Business First Bancshares by about $1 to $31, citing expectations for relatively solid balance sheet growth, benefits from the Oakwood and Progressive deals, and solid profitability, along with what they view as a discounted valuation versus peers. Analyst Commentary Recent research updates on Business First Bancshares have centered on how the bank can turn its balance sheet growth and recent acquisitions into shareholder value, and whether the current share price already reflects that potential.
Narrative Update Feb 24

BFST: Oakwood And Progressive Integrations Will Support Future Re Rating Potential

Analysts have inched their price targets on Business First Bancshares higher, with recent moves such as Raymond James shifting its view to $31 from $30. The firm cited expectations for solid balance sheet growth, benefits from the Oakwood/Progressive deals, and profitability, alongside what is viewed as a discounted P/E multiple relative to peers.
Narrative Update Feb 10

BFST: Oakwood And Progressive Deals Will Shape Balanced Risk Reward Outlook

Narrative Update on Business First Bancshares The analyst price target for Business First Bancshares has edged higher by about $0.18 to $32.88, with analysts citing expectations for relatively solid balance sheet growth, benefits from the Oakwood and Progressive deals, and solid profitability alongside what they view as a discounted valuation compared with peers. Analyst Commentary Recent research updates cluster around higher price targets and a generally constructive view on Business First Bancshares, with the Oakwood and Progressive deals and balance sheet profile at the center of the debate.
Analysis Article Jan 30

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) Is Due To Pay A Dividend Of $0.15

Business First Bancshares, Inc.'s ( NASDAQ:BFST ) investors are due to receive a payment of $0.15 per share on 15th of...
Narrative Update Jan 26

BFST: Oakwood And Progressive Integrations Will Drive Future Upside Potential

Analysts have nudged their fair value estimate for Business First Bancshares higher to $32.70 from $30.75, reflecting updated views around balance sheet growth, expected benefits from recent Oakwood and Progressive transactions, and the current P/E framework applied to what they see as solid profitability. Analyst Commentary Recent Street research has centered on how Business First Bancshares is priced relative to its earnings power, balance sheet profile, and the impact of the Oakwood and Progressive deals on future execution.
Analysis Article Oct 28

Business First Bancshares' (NASDAQ:BFST) Upcoming Dividend Will Be Larger Than Last Year's

Business First Bancshares, Inc.'s ( NASDAQ:BFST ) dividend will be increasing from last year's payment of the same...
Analysis Article Jul 31

Results: Business First Bancshares, Inc. Exceeded Expectations And The Consensus Has Updated Its Estimates

Business First Bancshares, Inc. ( NASDAQ:BFST ) shareholders are probably feeling a little disappointed, since its...
Analysis Article Apr 28

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) Has Announced A Dividend Of $0.14

The board of Business First Bancshares, Inc. ( NASDAQ:BFST ) has announced that it will pay a dividend on the 31st of...
Seeking Alpha Apr 27

Business First Bancshares: A Small, Solid, And Undervalued Bank

Summary Business First Bancshares has shown strong growth through acquisitions, with Oakwood adding $714 million in deposits, and expanding its branch network in Texas and Louisiana. Despite a slight decline in non-interest-bearing deposits and increased non-performing loans, BFST's NIM is improving, and deposit costs are declining. The bank's loan portfolio is well-positioned with high rates on maturing loans and favorable conditions if the Fed maintains current rates. Trading below its 5-year average TBV, BFST offers potential capital gains and a stable dividend yield, making it an attractive buy. Read the full article on Seeking Alpha
Analysis Article Jan 27

Business First Bancshares (NASDAQ:BFST) Is Paying Out A Dividend Of $0.14

Business First Bancshares, Inc. ( NASDAQ:BFST ) has announced that it will pay a dividend of $0.14 per share on the...
Analysis Article Oct 29

Business First Bancshares' (NASDAQ:BFST) Dividend Will Be $0.14

Business First Bancshares, Inc. ( NASDAQ:BFST ) has announced that it will pay a dividend of $0.14 per share on the...
User avatar
New Narrative Sep 24

From Wholesale Funding To Noninterest Revenue Streams

Strategic shift towards increasing noninterest-bearing deposit accounts and reducing reliance on wholesale funding aims to stabilize funding costs and improve net interest margins.
Seeking Alpha Jan 29

Business First Bancshares: TBV Per Share Has Stalled Since 2019

Summary Business First Bancshares reports an encouraging outlook for NIM, but doubts remain due to the evolving macroeconomic scenario. Gross loans grew 8.47% from last year, driven by growth in Texas. Repricing opportunities could drive BFST's growth in 2024, but NIM improvement depends on Fed interest rate cuts. Read the full article on Seeking Alpha

Stability and Growth of Payments

Fetching dividends data

Stable Dividend: Whilst dividend payments have been stable, BFST has been paying a dividend for less than 10 years.

Growing Dividend: BFST's dividend payments have increased, but the company has only paid a dividend for 8 years.


Dividend Yield vs Market

Business First Bancshares Dividend Yield vs Market
How does BFST dividend yield compare to the market?
SegmentDividend Yield
Company (BFST)2.1%
Market Bottom 25% (US)1.4%
Market Top 25% (US)4.2%
Industry Average (Banks)2.3%
Analyst forecast (BFST) (up to 3 years)2.2%

Notable Dividend: BFST's dividend (2.09%) is higher than the bottom 25% of dividend payers in the US market (1.38%).

High Dividend: BFST's dividend (2.09%) is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the US market (4.14%).


Current Payout to Shareholders

Earnings Coverage: With its low payout ratio (20.9%), BFST's dividend payments are well covered by earnings.


Future Payout to Shareholders

Future Dividend Coverage: Insufficient data to determine if a dividend will be paid in 3 years or that it will be covered by earnings.


Discover strong dividend paying companies

Company Analysis and Financial Data Status

DataLast Updated (UTC time)
Company Analysis2026/06/16 12:51
End of Day Share Price 2026/06/15 00:00
Earnings2026/03/31
Annual Earnings2025/12/31

Data Sources

The data used in our company analysis is from S&P Global Market Intelligence LLC. The following data is used in our analysis model to generate this report. Data is normalised which can introduce a delay from the source being available.

PackageDataTimeframeExample US Source *
Company Financials10 years
  • Income statement
  • Cash flow statement
  • Balance sheet
Analyst Consensus Estimates+3 years
  • Forecast financials
  • Analyst price targets
Market Prices30 years
  • Stock prices
  • Dividends, Splits and Actions
Ownership10 years
  • Top shareholders
  • Insider trading
Management10 years
  • Leadership team
  • Board of directors
Key Developments10 years
  • Company announcements

* Example for US securities, for non-US equivalent regulatory forms and sources are used.

Unless specified all financial data is based on a yearly period but updated quarterly. This is known as Trailing Twelve Month (TTM) or Last Twelve Month (LTM) Data. Learn more.

Analysis Model and Snowflake

Details of the analysis model used to generate this report is available on our Github page, we also have guides on how to use our reports and tutorials on Youtube.

Learn about the world class team who designed and built the Simply Wall St analysis model.

Industry and Sector Metrics

Our industry and section metrics are calculated every 6 hours by Simply Wall St, details of our process are available on Github.

Analyst Sources

Business First Bancshares, Inc. is covered by 7 analysts. 5 of those analysts submitted the estimates of revenue or earnings used as inputs to our report. Analysts submissions are updated throughout the day.

AnalystInstitution
Gary TennerD.A. Davidson & Co.
null nullD.A. Davidson & Co.
Feddie StricklandHovde Group, LLC