BUSINESS FIRST BANCSHARES INC (BFST)
Financials · regional banking · NASDAQ
Business First Bancshares is a regional financial services firm operating as b1BANK, focused on serving small to mid-sized businesses and individuals across its markets.
What BUSINESS FIRST BANCSHARES INC does
Business First Bancshares, Inc. is a bank holding company that provides a range of commercial and retail banking products and services through its subsidiary, b1BANK. It offers deposit products, various loan services including commercial and industrial, real estate, and consumer loans, and other financial services to small to medium-sized businesses and individuals.
Themes: commercial banking, retail banking
Fundamentals
- Price$31.15 as of 2026-08-21 close
- Market cap$1.0B as of 2026-08-21
- 1-year return+29.1% 2025-08-21 close $24.12 → 2026-08-21 close $31.15
- P/E11.31 as of 2026-08-24
- ROE+9.8% as of 2026-08-24
- Debt / equity0.15 as of 2026-08-24
- Beta0.79 as of 2026-08-24
- Last reported earnings2026-07-23 SEC EDGAR Form 8-K (Item 2.02)
Dividend: yield +2.3%; at least 5 years of non-decreasing per-share dividends (SEC XBRL) — we do not hold the year before it, so the real streak may be longer.
How BFST compares in its sector
- price-to-earnings ratiomiddle range 525 covered Financials peers, as of 2026-08-24
- return on equitymiddle range 575 covered Financials peers, as of 2026-08-24
- indicated dividend yieldmiddle range 453 covered Financials peers, as of 2026-08-24
- free cash flow (absolute dollars, latest fiscal year)middle range 431 covered Financials peers, as of FY2025
Position among covered Financials companies that report each metric (minimum 5 peers). A relative position within our covered catalog — not a valuation, quality, or investment judgment. A higher percentile is simply a higher value (for P/E, more expensive on earnings — never "better"). Informational only.
Dividend coverage (FY2025)
Covered by reported results. In FY2025, BFST's dividend was covered by reported results (earnings payout 19%, free-cash-flow payout 18%). This describes past coverage, not a forecast.
- Earnings payout19% dividends / net income
- Free-cash-flow payout18% dividends / (operating cash flow − capex)
Coverage derived from reported SEC EDGAR XBRL figures for FY2025 (dividends paid vs. net income and free cash flow, same fiscal year). This describes PAST coverage for one fiscal year — it does not predict whether a dividend will be maintained, raised, or cut, and a one-year payout ratio can be distorted by non-recurring items. Informational only — not financial advice.
How BUSINESS FIRST BANCSHARES INC looks technically
BUSINESS FIRST BANCSHARES INC (BFST) is trading 11.0% above its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a longer-term uptrend. Its 50-day average crossed above its 200-day average about 175 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal. There is no clear trend right now — the price is choppy (ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 19, below the 25 that marks a real trend). Momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 46, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30). It made a new 20-day high about 7 trading days ago. It is 4.2% below its all-time high. Day-to-day price swings are unusually narrow versus its own recent history — a "Bollinger squeeze" (in the tightest 1% of the past ~6 months), which often precedes a bigger move.
Trend
7
| Distance from the 200-day | it is trading 11.0% above its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a longer-term uptrend | +11.0% |
|---|---|---|
| 50-day moving average | its average price over the last 50 trading days — a short-term trend line — is $30.81 | $30.81 |
| 200-day moving average | its average price over the last 200 trading days — the long-term trend line — is $28.07 | $28.07 |
| Swing structure | its recent peaks and dips disagree — one of them is rising while the other is not, so there is no clean up or down pattern in the swings | mixed — one of the two is not confirming |
| Last swing turn | its last significant turn was a swing high 8 calendar days ago — the swings before that are what the structure reading is measured on | 8 sessions |
| Since the 50/200 cross | its 50-day average crossed above its 200-day average about 175 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal | 175 sessions |
| Trend strength (14-day ADX) | there is no clear trend right now — the price is choppy (ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 19, below the 25 that marks a real trend) | 19.2 |
Momentum
3
| 14-day RSI | momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 46, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30) | 46.2 |
|---|---|---|
| Position in its 14-day range | it is trading in the lower half of its 14-day range ($30.77 to $32.52) — its "stochastic" reading is 22 out of 100, where 0 would mean closing exactly at the 14-session low and 100 exactly at the high. This measures WHERE the price sits inside its recent range, which is a different question from the RSI beside it: RSI is a momentum gauge, measuring how FAST the price has been moving, so a stock can drift quietly to the bottom of its range with an ordinary RSI, or fall sharply and still sit in the middle. It has been climbing within that range over the last few sessions. | 21.7 |
| Since the MACD crossed zero | MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, is in negative territory (momentum leaning bearish) | 12 sessions |
Range
12
| 52-week high | its highest closing price over the past year (about 252 trading days) was $32.52 | $32.52 |
|---|---|---|
| From the 52-week high | it is 4.2% below its 52-week high (its highest price of the past year) | -4.2% |
| Above the 52-week low | it is 38.1% above its 52-week low (its lowest price of the past year) | +38.1% |
| Below the 52-week high | it is 4.2% below its highest point of the past year | 4.2% |
| Since a 20-day breakout | it made a new 20-day high about 7 trading days ago | 7 sessions |
| Since a 55-day breakout | it made a new 55-day high about 7 trading days ago | 7 sessions |
| All-time high | its highest closing price on record is $32.52 (set on 2026-08-13) | $32.52 |
| Given back of the 52-week move | over the past year its closes ranged ($22.73 to $32.28), and it has given back only a small part of its rise from last year’s low — 12% of it. Chart-watchers call 61.8%-65% given back the "golden pocket" — for this company that is $26.07 to $26.38. It is watched widely enough that orders cluster there, which is the honest reason it matters; it is not a forecast. | 11.8% |
| From the all-time high | it is 4.2% below its all-time high | -4.2% |
| Nearest price level | it is trading 0.9% below a resistance level at $31.42 — a price it turned at three times since 2026-07-02, most recently on 2026-08-07. Since 2024-08-21 it has 12 such levels below the current price and 2 above. Levels like these describe where the price has reversed or paused before; they are not a forecast of where it will go. | +0.9% |
| All-time low | its lowest closing price on record is $9.17 (set on 2020-03-23) | $9.17 |
| Above the all-time low | it is 239.7% above its all-time low | +239.7% |
Volatility
5
| Band width vs its own 6 months | day-to-day price swings are unusually narrow versus its own recent history — a "Bollinger squeeze" (in the tightest 1% of the past ~6 months), which often precedes a bigger move | 1st percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Typical daily range | in a typical session it travels about $0.596 between its high and its low — about 1.9% of its price. That is its "average true range" over the last 14 sessions, which also counts the distance from the previous close, so a day that opens well away from yesterday counts as the large move it was | $0.596 |
| Bollinger bands (20-day, ±2σ) | most of its recent trading has stayed between about $31.12 and $32.51 — the "Bollinger bands", a range drawn two standard deviations either side of its 20-day average price, which widens when the stock gets more volatile and narrows when it settles | $31.12 – $31.81 – $32.51 |
| Typical daily range (% of price) | its price moves about 1.9% in a typical session — among the calmest in the catalog. This is the average gap between a session's high and low over the last 14 sessions, counting overnight moves, expressed against the current price so it can be compared with companies trading at any price | 1.9% |
| Stretch from the 200-day average | it is trading 5.2 daily ranges above its 200-day average price (11.0% above it in plain percentage terms) — a way of asking how far it has stretched from its own average in units of how far it normally moves in a day, so a calm company and a jumpy one can be compared on the same scale | 5.2 daily ranges above its 200-day average |
Volume
1
| Volume vs its 30-day average | trading volume is about normal versus its 30-day average | 1.35× |
|---|
Analyst
2
| Change in the average price target | analysts' average price target is unchanged from the prior reading | 0.0% |
|---|---|---|
| Change in the consensus rating | the analyst consensus rating is unchanged since the prior reading | unchanged |
Candlestick patterns
3
| Since a doji | 5 sessions ago it opened and closed at almost the same price after trading through a wider range — a "doji", the classic picture of buyers and sellers finishing the session level | 5 sessions ago |
|---|---|---|
| Since a hammer | 1 session ago, after a stretch of decline, it sold off hard during the session and then closed back near its high — a "hammer", the long lower wick showing the drop was bought back before the close | 1 session ago |
| Since a bearish engulfing | today it opened above the previous session's close and finished below that session's open — a "bearish engulfing" pair, where one down day more than undid the up day before it | today |
Price gaps
2
| Gap at the open | it opened on 2026-08-21 1.2% above the previous session's close — an overnight gap, the part of the move that happened while the market was shut, and traded back through that level before the close | +1.1% |
|---|---|---|
| Open gap | it gapped 2.3% above the previous close 51 sessions ago and has not traded back through the level it left behind at 27.73 — an "unfilled gap", which describes a price range no trade has since crossed and is not a forecast that it will be crossed | +2.3% |
Price streaks
1
| Closing streak | it closed lower in its latest session, after a session that did not close lower — a single down day rather than a run | 1 session down |
|---|
Relative strength
4
| vs market, 1 month | over the past 1 month this stock lagged the market by 1.4 percentage points (the stock gained 1.0% while the market gained 2.3%) | -1.4% |
|---|---|---|
| vs market, 3 months | over the past 3 months this stock beat the market by 8.1 percentage points (the stock gained 11.2% while the market gained 3.1%) | +8.1% |
| vs market, 6 months | over the past 6 months this stock lagged the market by 3.2 percentage points (the stock gained 7.9% while the market gained 11.1%) | -3.2% |
| vs market, 12 months | over the past 12 months this stock beat the market by 8.7 percentage points (the stock gained 29.1% while the market gained 20.5%) | +8.7% |
Signal agreement
2
| Bullish technical signals | 3 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bullish state: a "golden cross" — its 50-day average is above its 200-day, trading above its 200-day average, trading above the Ichimoku cloud — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 3 of 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Bearish technical signals | 2 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bearish state: MACD momentum is negative, lagging the market over 6 months — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 2 of 9 |
Trend (Ichimoku cloud)
1
| Vs the Ichimoku cloud | trading 3.1% above the Ichimoku cloud — a band drawn from where its own highs and lows sat up to 2026-07-16 and projected forward over today's price, the side traders read as an established uptrend, with the band below acting as the level that would have to give way. The band itself is moderate, spanning 3.6% of the share price. | +3.1% |
|---|
Volume-weighted price
2
| Vs this year’s average price paid | the price is 7% above the average price paid so far this year, so the typical buyer over that stretch is showing a gain. That average is $29.00 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 155 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | +7.4% |
|---|---|---|
| Vs the average paid since it last reported | the price is 2% below the average price paid since it last reported on 2026-07-23 (its 8-K), so the typical buyer over that stretch is under water. That average is $31.69 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 22 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | -1.7% |
Price levels it has turned at before
BFST last closed at $31.15 on 2026-08-21. Since 2024-08-21 it has turned at 12 prices below its last close and 2 above; the 3 nearest below and the 2 nearest above are listed, nearest first.
| Level | Side | Distance | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| $31.42 | Resistance | 0.9% above the last close | turned there three times · 2026-07-02 to 2026-08-07 |
| $30.31 | Support | 2.7% below the last close | turned there twice · 2024-11-12 to 2026-02-04 |
| $32.46 | Resistance | 4.2% above the last close | turned there twice · 2026-07-30 to 2026-08-13 |
| $29.46 | Support | 5.4% below the last close | turned there five times · 2024-11-25 to 2026-07-23 |
| $28.93 | Support | 7.1% below the last close | turned there three times · 2024-12-11 to 2026-04-09 |
A level is a price this company reversed or paused at more than once — they describe past behaviour, not a forecast of where the price will go.
Wave structure
No Elliott-wave labelling currently fits its swings: the recent highs and lows do not satisfy the three rules a five-wave count has to obey, so there is no count to show rather than a count we are unsure about.
Read from daily closes as of 2026-08-21.
An Elliott-wave count describes the swings already printed and the level that would disprove it. It is not a forecast, a target, or advice.
Screens: Trading above the 200-day moving average · in a Bollinger Band volatility squeeze · trendless / choppy (low ADX) · Near the all-time high · Printed a bearish engulfing pair · Least volatile (2% or less typical daily range) | Learn: moving average · golden cross · adx · rsi · breakout · all time high · bollinger bands
Based on daily closing prices as of 2026-08-21. Describes past price behavior only — informational, not financial advice.
Analyst consensus
- Consensus ratingStrong Buy (1.20 mean, 1=Strong Buy…5=Strong Sell) — 5 analysts
- Mean price target$34.70 range $32.50 – $36.00; median $35.00
Analyst estimates, as of 2026-08-18. These are third-party analyst opinions and price targets, aggregated — not a recommendation, prediction, or advice from stocks-llm. Informational only.
Analyst EPS estimate for BFST
- Consensus EPS estimate$0.74 next reporting period, as of 2026-08-18
Change over time is not available yet: it needs two readings of the same reporting period at least 30 days apart, and we have been recording these estimates since 2026-08-04. An estimate for a DIFFERENT quarter is not a revision, so a reading from before the last report is never compared with one after it.
The consensus estimate for the next reporting period, and how it has moved between readings of that SAME period. A change is measured only between readings estimating one period — when a company reports, the consensus moves to the next quarter and the two numbers are not comparable. Informational only, not a forecast and not advice.
Key risks (from latest filing)
["Credit risk related to loan portfolio quality and the adequacy of the allowance for loan losses.","Interest rate risk affecting net interest income and the fair value of investment securities.","Liquidity risk and dependency on deposit funding."]
What changed in the latest 10-Q
AI-assisted comparison of BFST's 10-Q filed 2026-05-01 against the prior one filed 2025-10-30.
Management's Discussion & Analysis (MD&A)
- Added:
- Newer filing (2026-05-01) references 'Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025' whereas older filing (2025-10-30) referenced 'Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024'
- Newer filing (2026-05-01) discusses 'financial condition of Business First and its subsidiaries from December 31, 2025 to March 31, 2026' and 'results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2026'
- Removed:
- Removed in newer filing (2026-05-01): entire bullet point regarding 'risks relating to the proposed acquisition of Progressive Bancorp, Inc. ("Progressive")' including merger timing, conditions, management diversion, transaction costs, integration risks, revenue synergies, deposit/customer attrition, and market entry difficulties that was present in older filing (2025-10-30)
- Reworded:
- Older filing (2025-10-30) stated 'downturn in the energy industry' whereas newer filing (2026-05-01) states 'downturns in the energy industry' (plural form)
- Notes:
- Both filings appear truncated at the end, which may affect complete comparison of the MD&A sections
- The most substantial change is the removal of the Progressive Bancorp acquisition risk disclosure, suggesting a material change in the company's transaction status between the two filing dates
Risk Factors
- Added:
- In newer filing (2026-05-01): 'Merger and Conversion-Related Expense' line item added to Other Expenses section of consolidated statements of income, showing $1,377 thousand for three months ended March 31, 2026 versus $250 thousand for three months ended March 31, 2025.
- In newer filing (2026-05-01): Stock Issuance line added to consolidated statements of changes in shareholders' equity for three months ended March 31, 2026, showing $83,448 thousand with corresponding 3,192 thousand common shares.
- In newer filing (2026-05-01): Stock Repurchases line added to consolidated statements of changes in shareholders' equity for three months ended March 31, 2026, showing $(2,750) thousand with corresponding (99) thousand common shares.
- Removed:
- In older filing (2025-10-30): 'Merger and Conversion-Related Expense' line not present in income statement for comparable periods.
- In older filing (2025-10-30): Stock Issuance and Stock Repurchases lines not shown in the three-month period statements of changes in shareholders' equity.
- Reworded:
- Balance sheet dates changed: Newer filing compares March 31, 2026 and December 31, 2025; Older filing compared September 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024.
- Income statement period changed: Newer filing reports three months ended March 31, 2026 and 2025; Older filing reported three months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024, plus nine-month periods.
- Statements of comprehensive income presentation changed: Newer filing shows single line 'Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investment Securities'; Older filing separated into 'Unrealized Gain on Investment Securities' and 'Unrealized Gain on Share of Other Equity Investments - - - 14'.
- Common Stock dividend per share changed in statements of changes: Newer filing shows 'Cash Dividends Declared on Common Stock, 0.15 Per Share'; Older filing showed 'Cash Dividends Declared on Common Stock, $ 0.14 Per Share' for quarterly period.
- Notes:
- Newer filing appears truncated mid-cash flow statement; full comparison of cash flow statements not possible.
- The two filings compare different interim periods (Q1 2026 vs Q3 2025) making some line-item comparisons reflect different operational timeframes rather than pure policy changes.
AI-assisted comparison of two SEC filing sections. It describes wording and theme changes only, makes no materiality, legal, or investment judgement, and is not financial advice. Informational only — not financial advice.
Insider activity (SEC Form 4)
1 open-market purchase and 18 open-market sales by insiders in the last 90 days.
- Last 30 days1 buy ($47415) · 14 sells ($3M) — 1 buying, 6 selling insiders
- Last 90 days1 buy ($47415) · 18 sells ($4M) — 1 buying, 6 selling insiders
- Last 180 days1 buy ($47415) · 19 sells ($5M) — 1 buying, 6 selling insiders
Activity heuristic: net selling (a transparent product heuristic from the counts above, not a prediction or advice)
Most recent open-market transaction: 2026-08-19. As of 2026-08-24.
View full insider trading history → View SEC Form 3/4/5 filingsAsk about BFST's insider activity →
Only open-market purchases (SEC code P) and sales (code S) are counted here. Option exercises, vesting/awards, gifts, and shares withheld for taxes are excluded — they are compensation or mechanical, not open-market conviction. Sales may be planned and non-discretionary (e.g. a Rule 10b5-1 plan) and are not necessarily bearish; open-market buying is not a recommendation to buy. Informational only — not financial advice.
Institutional ownership (13F)
4 institutional 13F filers reported holding BFST as of 2026-03-31 (quarter-end position, filed within 45 days).
- Distinct 13F filers 4
- Reported shares held 3,155,685
- Reported value $85,329,709
reported quarterly holdings change (2025-12-31 → 2026-03-31): 0 new, 3 increased, 1 decreased, 1 exited. Change counts cover only managers that filed 13F reports in BOTH quarters, derived between two quarter-end snapshots — not same-day trades; a single manager is never said to have "bought" or "sold".
Institutional holdings are quarter-end long positions reported on SEC Form 13F-HR, filed up to 45 days after the quarter ends — they are delayed, are not real-time trades, exclude short positions and most non-US securities, and are not investment advice. Any increase/decrease is a reported change between two quarterly snapshots, not a same-day purchase or sale. These are quarter-end snapshots from the 13F filings on SEC EDGAR, filed within 45 days — not real-time, and any change is a difference between two quarterly reports, not a same-day trade. Informational only — not financial advice.
Short interest (FINRA)
BFST had 846,909 shares of reported short interest as of the 2026-07-31 FINRA settlement date (delayed, bi-monthly; not real-time).
BFST had 2.60% of its shares outstanding sold short as of the 2026-07-31 FINRA settlement date (percent of FLOAT would be higher — float is not disclosed in the source). FINRA reported 3.45 days to cover at the same settlement.
- Reported short interest (shares) 846,909
- Short interest (% of shares outstanding) 2.60%
- Prior settlement (shares) 940,869
- Reported change -9.99%
- Days to cover (reported) 3.45
Reported to FINRA as of the 2026-07-31 settlement date. Short interest is reported to FINRA and published on a delayed, bi-monthly schedule (as of a settlement date, disseminated roughly eight business days later) — it is NOT real-time, does not cover every venue or all US trading, and is not a short-squeeze prediction or investment advice. Days-to-cover is the value FINRA reports; percent of float is not shown because the source file carries no share-count denominator — where a percent appears it is of shares OUTSTANDING, the larger base, and is therefore a floor on percent of float. Informational only — not financial advice.
Competitors & peers
- IberiaBank (IBKC)
- Hancock Whitney (HWC)
- Home BancShares (HOMB)
- BancorpSouth Bank (BXS)
- Cullen/Frost Bankers (CFR)
- Origin Bancorp (OBK)
AI-enriched competitor set. Linked names are companies covered by stocks-llm; other named peers are shown for reference only.
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Frequently asked questions
What does BUSINESS FIRST BANCSHARES INC (BFST) do?
Business First Bancshares, Inc. is a bank holding company that provides a range of commercial and retail banking products and services through its subsidiary, b1BANK. It offers deposit products, various loan services including commercial and industrial, real estate, and consumer loans, and other financial services to small to medium-sized businesses and individuals.
What sector is BUSINESS FIRST BANCSHARES INC (BFST) in?
BUSINESS FIRST BANCSHARES INC (BFST) is classified in the Financials sector. Its industry is regional banking. It trades on NASDAQ.
Does BFST pay a dividend?
Yes — BUSINESS FIRST BANCSHARES INC (BFST) pays a dividend, with an indicated yield of about 2.26% and at least 5 years of non-decreasing per-share dividends (SEC EDGAR XBRL) — we do not hold the year before it, so the real streak may be longer (market data, as of 2026-08-24). Informational only — not financial advice.
Who are BUSINESS FIRST BANCSHARES INC's (BFST) competitors?
Notable peers of BUSINESS FIRST BANCSHARES INC (BFST) include IberiaBank, Hancock Whitney, Home BancShares, BancorpSouth Bank and Cullen/Frost Bankers. This peer set is informational only — not financial advice.
Is BUSINESS FIRST BANCSHARES INC (BFST) overbought or oversold right now?
BUSINESS FIRST BANCSHARES INC (BFST) is currently neither overbought nor oversold — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 46, in the neutral middle (as of 2026-08-21). RSI describes recent price momentum, not a forecast — informational only, not financial advice.
Where does stocks-llm's data on BFST come from?
Fundamentals and prices come from market data, as of 2026-08-24; company filings and profile facts come from SEC EDGAR. All figures are delayed daily-close data shown with their as-of date — informational only, not financial advice.
Fundamentals: market data, as of 2026-08-24. Filings: SEC EDGAR. Prices are delayed daily-close data.
Last updated 2026-08-21.
Informational only — NOT financial advice. All figures are delayed daily-close data from SEC EDGAR & market data, shown with their as-of date.