Bank First Co. (NASDAQ:BFC) Short Interest Down 13.4% in July

Bank First Co. (NASDAQ:BFC) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 193,900 shares, a decline of 13.4% from the July 15th total of 224,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 24,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 7.8 days.

Bank First Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:BFC traded up $1.30 during trading on Friday, hitting $86.38. 32,495 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 21,209. The company has a market capitalization of $870.80 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.22 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 0.99. Bank First has a 1-year low of $70.00 and a 1-year high of $96.00. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $84.79 and its 200-day simple moving average is $83.23.

Bank First (NASDAQ:BFC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 16th. The company reported $1.56 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.43 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $55.22 million for 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 10.13%. Sell-side analysts expect that Bank First will post 6.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bank First Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 25th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.85%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 25th. This is an increase from Bank First’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. Bank First’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.78%.

Institutional Trading of Bank First

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Quest Partners LLC boosted its position in Bank First by 65,700.0% in the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 658 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 657 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Bank First in the 4th quarter worth approximately $208,000. Arizona State Retirement System grew its position 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 acquiring an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Bank First during the 4th quarter valued at $214,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD bought a new position in Bank First in the 1st quarter valued at $232,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 29.95% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Piper Sandler upped their price target on Bank First from $84.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report 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.