BFST
Strong BuyPremium GrowerAI neutralBusiness First Bancshares, Inc. · Financial Services · United States · $1.0B cap · $6.4M/day traded
$31.82 +0.1% · close 26 Oct · scored 27 Oct
Premium Grower: Strong business with the market behind it, priced at a premium.
As of 27 Oct 2026, MoatMap's StockRank for Business First Bancshares, Inc. (BFST) is 82/100, ranked against 24,000+ stocks in 35 markets (Quality 56, Value 50, Momentum 73, each scored against its sector).
Does StockRank work? Each month we publish how every decile did, whichever way it went. See the record →
Business First Bancshares is a Louisiana bank with good loan growth and a small buyback, and it recently bought a financial consulting firm. It is a solid regional lender but has no clear competitive advantage over peers, and insiders were net sellers.
ABOUT BUSINESS FIRST BANCSHARES, INC.
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Business First Bancshares, Inc. is the bank holding company for Business First Bank, a community bank providing commercial and retail banking services to businesses and individuals in Louisiana and Texas. The bank focuses on relationship-based banking with a strong emphasis on commercial clients, fostering deep community ties and personalized service. Business First Bancshares is a growing regional community bank in the Gulf Coast states, specializing in serving local businesses with tailored financial solutions.
FINANCIAL SUMMARY (USD)
| Year | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | CAGR | TTM | 2026E | 2027E | Fwd CAGR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 227.5M | 247.4M | 270.4M | 319.8M | 12.0% | 334.0M | 366.7M | 392.5M | 10.8% |
| EPS | 2.34 | 2.62 | 2.27 | 2.81 | 6.3% | 2.81 | 2.99 | 3.30 | 8.4% |
| Shares | 25.1M | 25.4M | 29.6M | 29.5M | +17.5% | 32.5M | — | — | — |
| Debt | 525.8M | 616.2M | 460.6M | 528.7M | 0.2% | 616.1M | — | — | — |
| Equity | 580.5M | 644.3M | 799.5M | 896.9M | 15.6% | — | — | — | — |
| Op CF | 69.6M | 91.0M | 61.4M | 92.1M | 9.8% | 103.3M | — | — | — |
| Inv CF | -700.5M | -521.1M | -294.9M | -281.5M | — | — | — | — | — |
| Fin CF | 715.3M | 503.5M | 326.5M | 281.5M | — | — | — | — | — |
Above its 200-day average and 2% below its 52-week high.
Calmer than 87% of stocks we rank over the past year (23% a year).
How this is worked out
StockRank judges the business. The price check reads only the chart: it is the price side of the Momentum score, in words.
The rules: Still falling is a new 52-week low in the last two weeks, at least 25% below the high. Finding a floor is no new low since. Turning up is 20 or more trading days without a new low, at least 10% off it, and back above a rising 50-day average. In an uptrend is above the 200-day average and within 15% of the high.
In 2,112 US drawdowns since 2001, buying while the price was still falling was followed by a further 20% drop 42% of the time. Waiting for a turn like this one cut that to 33%, at about 7% higher prices and with no better returns. Part of that cut is simply not buying: 13% of falls never turned, and waiting kept those out. Among turns that were bought, 38% still fell another 20%, and 33% of turns were followed by a new low within six months. The benefit was largest in crashes such as 2008 and 2020.
What it measures: day-to-day price moves over the past year, as a yearly figure, ranked against every stock we cover. Very calm under 20% a year, Calm 20 to 30%, Average 30 to 40%, Bumpy 40 to 55%, Very bumpy above that.
What we found: across about 13,500 stocks in 34 markets (2002 to 2025), past swings were a good guide to the next year's, and bumpier stocks fell further. How much further changed too much between eras to put a number on it.
Calm is not safe: a calm stock can still slide steadily.
Rules fixed before any data was fetched. Describes the chart, not a recommendation.
SCORE BREAKDOWN
FUNDAMENTALS
SECTOR PEERS
Closest peers in Financial Services, ranked by industry match, size, and score similarity. Cross-listings of BFST are excluded.
| Ticker | Company | Mkt Cap | StockRank | Signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BFST | Business First Bancshares, Inc.(you) | $1.0B | 82 | Strong Buy |
| THFF | First Financial Corporation | $912M | 82 | Strong Buy |
| AMTB | Amerant Bancorp Inc. | $1.2B | 82 | Strong Buy |
| FMNB | Farmers National Banc Corp. | $930M | 83 | Strong Buy |
| HAFC | Hanmi Financial Corporation | $953M | 78 | Buy |
| ORRF | Orrstown Financial Services, Inc. | $871M | 84 | Strong Buy |
| OSBC | Old Second Bancorp, Inc. | $1.2B | 79 | Buy |
| HBT | HBT Financial, Inc. | $1.3B | 83 | Strong Buy |
| FISI | Financial Institutions, Inc. | $800M | 83 | Strong Buy |
| CCNE | CNB Financial Corporation | $1.0B | 75 | Buy |
Peer medians: ROE 9.6% · P/E 13.0x · Gross margin 75.4%
Company Deep Dive
Business segments breakdown, earnings transcript analysis, management credibility scoring, competitive landscape, and scenario modelling.