Fact based stock research
Business First Bancshares (NasdaqGS:BFST)

US12326C1053

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For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".

Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".

Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.

Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.

(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).

(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.

Business First Bancshares stock research in summary

b1bank.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 46 (worse than 54% compared with investment alternatives), Business First Bancshares (Regional Banks, USA) shares have somewhat below-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Business First Bancshares are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 54 (better than 54% of alternatives), show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 86) but are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 11), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 46, is a hold recommendation based on Business First Bancshares's financial characteristics. As the company Business First Bancshares's key financial metrics exhibit excellent performance in two areas, such as good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 54) and above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 86), it could be argued that the risk-taking in financing (Obermatt Safety Rank of only 11) indicates that the company is optimistic about the future and sees debt as an opportunity to boost returns. More debt means more shareholder returns if everything goes well. However, higher debt burdens are risky when interest rates rise or the business deteriorates in a crisis. If you believe the company's future is market-typical or even better, this could be an argument for a share purchase. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more

Latest Obermatt Ranks


360° View^new
Sentiment Rank^new
Value Rank	54
Growth Rank	86
Safety Rank	11
Combined Rank	46

Country	USA
Industry	Regional Banks
Index	Sound Pay USA, NASDAQ
Size class	XX-Large

21-Mar-2024. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.

Further information

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Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.

Research History: Business First Bancshares

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	56	51	36	54
GROWTH
GROWTH	53	95	100	86
SAFETY
SAFETY	21	5	11	11
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	79	100	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	71	74	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 21-Mar-2024. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 30-Sep-2023. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better Business First Bancshares is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	56	51	36	54
GROWTH
GROWTH	53	95	100	86
SAFETY
SAFETY	21	5	11	11
COMBINED
COMBINED	51	53	38	46

Last update of combined financial performance: 21-Mar-2024. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of Business First Bancshares the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 54 (better than 54% compared with alternatives), Business First Bancshares shares are more attractively priced than the majority of comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, where half the indicators are below and half are above average for Business First Bancshares. Price-to-Sales (P/S) is 73, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 73% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning Business First Bancshares's revenue size. The same is valid for expected Price-to-Profits (or Price / Earnings, P/E), more favorable than for 67% of alternatives. It is also positive for expected dividend yields with a Dividend Yield rank of 28 (dividends are expected to be higher than for 28% of other stocks). But, compared with other companies in the same industry, the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) is higher than average, making the stock more expensive. Only 52% of all competitors have an even higher price compared with book capital which puts the Price-to-Capital Rank for Business First Bancshares to 48. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 54, is a buy recommendation based on Business First Bancshares's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. A low level of book capital means that the company has a business that is leaner on assets than its competitors. For instance, the company could be leasing its production facilities, or be more focussed on intellectual property, such as its brand and software, which is less visible in its book capital. If that is the case, the low Dividend Yield is also explained as such companies tend to invest their income into market development. The other good value ranks for Sales and Profits are encouraging indicators for the stock price value. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision. ...read more

VALUE METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	71	85	71	73
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	61	67	60	67
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	43	41	43	48
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	35	29	20	28
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	56	51	36	54

Last update of Value Rank: 21-Mar-2024. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of Business First Bancshares; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 86 (better than 86% compared with alternatives) for 2024, Business First Bancshares shows one of the highest growth dynamics in its industry. Investors also speak of high momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all but one indicator above average for Business First Bancshares. Sales Growth has a rank of 74 which means that currently, professionals expect the company to grow more than 74% of its competitors. Capital Growth is also above 48% of competitors with a rank of 65, and Stock Returns with the rank of 87 is also an outperformance. Only Profit Growth is low with a rank of 48 which means that currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 52% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 86, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. All three operating growth indicators, namely revenue, profit, and capital growth, are showing improvements. This is a good indication of a company with a positive future. That might, at the same time, be the simple reason why profit growth is low. A growing company needs money and thus can't yet show high profit growth. Look out for signs in corporate communication about extra growth efforts costing time and money. If that is the case, Business First Bancshares is a good growth stock. While momentum is a popular investment factor, the value aspect might be the more important one, in the longer term. We recommend analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	65	81	82	74
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	n/a	43	84	48
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	100	95	65
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	49	57	81	87
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	53	95	100	86

Last update of Growth Rank: 21-Mar-2024. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of Business First Bancshares.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 11 (better than 11% compared with alternatives), the company Business First Bancshares has much riskier financing practices than comparable other companies, which means that their overall debt burden is significantly above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of Business First Bancshares is also risky, it only means that the company is on the riskier side in respect to bankruptcy in case things turn sour, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with just one indicator above average for Business First Bancshares and the other two below average. Refinancing is at 67, meaning the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 67% of its competitors. But Leverage is high with a rank of 20, meaning the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 80% of its competitors. Liquidity is also on the riskier side with a rank of 17, meaning the company generates less profit to service its debt than 83% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 11 (worse than 89% compared with alternatives), Business First Bancshares has a financing structure that is significantly riskier than that of its competitors. A good Refinancing Rank means that the problems of the company may not be around the corner. But high Leverage is only good if things go well, and low Liquidity is a signal for caution. The financing signals for Business First Bancshares are on the riskier side, requiring the company's future to be on the safer side. Investors may want to look at Growth and Sentiment ranks before making an investment decision. In the long-term, investors may have a debt challenge with Business First Bancshares and should also compare Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks before making a decision. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	18	34	12	20
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	51	29	81	67
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	57	16	7	17
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	21	5	11	11

Last update of Safety Rank: 21-Mar-2024. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of Business First Bancshares and the more cash is available to service its debt.

Sentiment Metrics in Detail

SENTIMENT	2021	2022	2023	2024
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS	n/a	95	89	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	n/a	18	50	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	n/a	59	94	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	n/a	82	89	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	n/a	79	100	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 21-Mar-2024. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for Business First Bancshares.
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