Bank First Co. (NASDAQ:BFC) Short Interest Update

Bank First Co. (NASDAQ:BFC) saw a large growth in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 198,500 shares, a growth of 11.4% from the August 15th total of 178,200 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 27,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 7.4 days.

Bank First Stock Up 1.1 %

BFC stock traded up $1.05 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $92.88. 321 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 20,903. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $88.94 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $84.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $936.32 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.93 and a beta of 0.31. Bank First has a 52-week low of $70.00 and a 52-week high of $96.00.

Bank First (NASDAQ:BFC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 16th. The company reported $1.56 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $55.22 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $38.70 million. Bank First had a net margin of 32.18% and a return on equity of 10.07%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Bank First will post 6.1 EPS for the current year.

Bank First Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This is a positive change from Bank First’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 25th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.72%. Bank First’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.78%.

Institutional Trading of Bank First

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Arizona State Retirement System grew its stake in Bank First by 5.5% during the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 2,554 shares of the company’s stock worth $211,000 after buying an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Bank First by 6.3% in the 2nd quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 4,250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $351,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the period. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Bank First by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 17,954 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,483,000 after purchasing an additional 296 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC boosted its stake in Bank First by 65,700.0% during the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 658 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 657 shares during the period. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers grew its position in Bank First by 5.5% during the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 14,246 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,177,000 after purchasing an additional 746 shares during the last quarter. 29.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of Bank First from $84.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th.

Bank First Company Profile

Bank First Corporation operates as a holding company for Bank First, N.A. that provides consumer and commercial financial services to businesses, professionals, consumers, associations, individuals, and governmental authorities in Wisconsin. It offers checking, savings, money market, cash management, retirement, and health savings accounts; other time deposits; certificates of deposit; and residential mortgage products.