Financial Performance - Business First reported Q4 2024 net income of $15.1 million, a decrease of $1.4 million from the previous quarter, with diluted earnings per share of $0.51[1][2] - For the fiscal year 2024, net income available to common stockholders was $59.7 million, down $5.9 million year-over-year, resulting in diluted earnings per share of $2.26[2] - Net income available to common shareholders for Q4 2024 was $15,138 thousand, a decrease of 8.2% from $16,492 thousand in Q3 2024 and an increase of 4.6% from $14,474 thousand in Q4 2023[18] - Net income available to common shareholders for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, was $59,706 thousand, a decrease of 9.0% compared to $65,642 thousand for the same period in 2023[21] Asset Growth - Total assets increased to $7,857,090 thousand as of December 31, 2024, up from $6,584,550 thousand a year earlier, representing a growth of 19.4%[61] - Total assets as of December 31, 2024, reached $7,857,090,000, a 14.0% increase from $6,888,649,000 in Q3 2024 and a 19.4% increase from $6,584,550,000 in Q4 2023[85] - Total loans increased to $5,327,466 thousand in December 2024, up from $4,859,637 thousand in December 2023, representing a growth of 9.6%[69] - Total deposits reached $6,511,331 thousand, reflecting a 24.1% increase compared to $5,248,790 thousand a year ago[61] Loan and Deposit Performance - Loans held for investment increased by $761.3 million or 14.58% in Q4 2024, with organic loan growth of $62.8 million or 1.20% excluding Oakwood[10][11] - Deposits grew by $870.4 million or 15.43% in Q4 2024, with organic deposit growth of $156.8 million or 2.78% excluding Oakwood[4][16] - Total Loans Held for Investment increased to $5,981,399 thousand in Q4 2024, up 14.63% from $5,220,118 thousand in Q3 2024 and 19.83% from $4,992,785 thousand in Q4 2023[49] Interest Income and Margin - Net interest income for Q4 2024 increased to $65.7 million, up from $56.1 million in the linked quarter, with a net interest margin of 3.61%[7][23] - Net interest income for the three months ended December 31, 2024, was $65,729 thousand, up 22.2% from $53,760 thousand in the same period last year[65] - The net interest margin for the three months ended December 31, 2024, was 3.61%, compared to 3.50% in the same period last year[68] - The Net Interest Margin for Q4 2024 was 3.61%, up from 3.51% in Q3 2024, indicating improved profitability on interest-earning assets[53] Credit Losses and Provisions - The provision for credit losses in Q4 2024 was $6.7 million, significantly higher than $1.7 million in the previous quarter, primarily due to the Oakwood acquisition[25] - Provision for credit losses increased to $6,712 thousand for the three months ended December 31, 2024, compared to $119 thousand in the same period last year[65] - The allowance for loan losses stood at $54,840 thousand as of December 31, 2024, compared to $40,414 thousand a year earlier, indicating a 35.7% increase[61] - The Allowance for Loan Losses to Total Loans (HFI) ratio increased to 0.92% in Q4 2024 from 0.81% in Q3 2024, indicating a higher provision for potential loan losses[49] Shareholder Equity - Shareholders' equity increased by $99.9 million in Q4 2024, largely due to the Oakwood acquisition[19] - Total shareholders' equity increased to $799,466 thousand as of December 31, 2024, up from $644,259 thousand a year earlier, representing a growth of 24.2%[61] - Total common shareholders' equity increased to $727,536,000 as of December 31, 2024, up 15.9% from $627,594,000 in Q3 2024 and 27.2% from $572,329,000 in Q4 2023[85] Efficiency and Other Income - Total Other Income for Q4 2024 was $11,857 thousand, a significant increase of 84.06% compared to $6,413 thousand in Q4 2023[57] - Other income for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, was $44,193 thousand, compared to $36,642 thousand in 2023, representing an increase of 20.5%[73] - The Efficiency Ratio improved slightly to 63.91% in Q4 2024 from 63.45% in Q3 2024, reflecting better cost management[53] - The efficiency ratio for the three months ended December 31, 2024, was 63.91%, slightly higher than 63.36% in the same quarter of the previous year[92]

Core Insights - Business First Bancshares, Inc. reported a net income of $15.1 million or $0.51 per diluted common share for Q4 2024, reflecting a decrease from the previous quarter [1] - For the full year 2024, net income available to common stockholders was $59.7 million or $2.26 per diluted common share, down from the prior year [2] - The acquisition of Oakwood Bancshares, Inc. was completed on October 1, 2024, contributing to the financial results [1][6] Financial Performance - Q4 2024 core net income was $19.5 million or $0.66 per diluted common share, showing a $2.2 million increase but a $0.02 decrease from the linked quarter [1] - The company declared a quarterly preferred dividend of $18.75 per share and a common dividend of $0.14 per share, both payable on February 28, 2025 [3] Quarterly Highlights - Net interest income for Q4 2024 was $65.7 million, up from $56.1 million in the previous quarter, with a net interest margin of 3.61% [6][16] - Deposits increased by $870.4 million or 15.43% in Q4 2024, with organic deposit growth of $156.8 million or 2.78% [11][12] - Loans held for investment rose by $761.3 million or 14.58%, with organic loan growth of $62.8 million or 1.20% [7][8] Credit Quality - The ratio of nonperforming loans decreased to 0.42% at December 31, 2024, down from 0.50% in the previous quarter [9] - The provision for credit losses for Q4 2024 was $6.7 million, significantly higher than $1.7 million in the linked quarter, primarily due to the acquisition of Oakwood [19] Shareholders' Equity - Shareholders' equity increased by $99.9 million during Q4 2024, largely due to the acquisition of Oakwood [14] - Book value per common share rose to $24.62 at December 31, 2024, compared to $24.59 at September 30, 2024 [14][38] Operational Efficiency - The efficiency ratio for Q4 2024 was 63.91%, slightly up from 63.45% in the previous quarter [38] - Other expenses increased by $7.1 million or 16.77% in Q4 2024, mainly due to acquisition-related costs [21]

Analysts on Wall Street project that Business First (BFST) will announce quarterly earnings of $0.46 per share in its forthcoming report, representing a decline of 30.3% year over year. Revenues are projected to reach $75.4 million, increasing 25.3% from the same quarter last year.The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days. This represents how the covering analysts, as a whole, have reassessed their initial estimates during this timeframe.Ahead of a company's ear ...

The market expects Business First (BFST) to deliver a year-over-year decline in earnings on higher revenues when it reports results for the quarter ended December 2024. This widely-known consensus outlook is important in assessing the company's earnings picture, but a powerful factor that might influence its near-term stock price is how the actual results compare to these estimates.The earnings report, which is expected to be released on January 23, 2025, might help the stock move higher if these key number ...

Have you been searching for a stock that might be well-positioned to maintain its earnings-beat streak in its upcoming report? It is worth considering Business First (BFST) , which belongs to the Zacks Banks - Northeast industry.When looking at the last two reports, this company has recorded a strong streak of surpassing earnings estimates. The company has topped estimates by 22.39%, on average, in the last two quarters.For the most recent quarter, Business First was expected to post earnings of $0.57 per s ...

BATON ROUGE, La., Jan. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Business First Bancshares, Inc. (Nasdaq: BFST) (Business First), the parent company of b1BANK, announced it is scheduled to release fourth quarter 2024 earnings after market close on Thurs., Jan. 23, 2025. Executive management will host a conference call and webcast to discuss results on the same day (Thurs., Jan. 23, 2025) at 4:00 p.m. CDT. Interested parties may attend the call by dialing toll-free 1-800-715-9871 (North America only), conference ID 38056 ...

A downtrend has been apparent in Business First (BFST) lately with too much selling pressure. The stock has declined 10.1% over the past four weeks. However, given the fact that it is now in oversold territory and Wall Street analysts are majorly in agreement about the company's ability to report better earnings than they predicted earlier, the stock could be due for a turnaround.Guide to Identifying Oversold StocksWe use Relative Strength Index (RSI), one of the most commonly used technical indicators, for ...

Momentum investing revolves around the idea of following a stock's recent trend in either direction. In the 'long' context, investors will be essentially be "buying high, but hoping to sell even higher." With this methodology, taking advantage of trends in a stock's price is key; once a stock establishes a course, it is more than likely to continue moving that way. The goal is that once a stock heads down a fixed path, it will lead to timely and profitable trades.While many investors like to look for moment ...

Business First (BFST) could be a solid addition to your portfolio given a notable revision in the company's earnings estimates. While the stock has been gaining lately, the trend might continue since its earnings outlook is still improving.Analysts' growing optimism on the earnings prospects of this company is driving estimates higher, which should get reflected in its stock price. After all, empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock pric ...

Table of Contents _______________________________________________________________________ UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 _______________________________________________________________________ FORM 10-Q _______________________________________________________________________ (Mark One) x QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 For the quarterly period ended September 30, 2024 or o TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 ...