Bank First (NASDAQ:BFC) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Here’s Why

Shares of Bank First Co. (NASDAQ:BFC) saw unusually-high trading volume on Thursday . Approximately 24,276 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 45% from the previous session’s volume of 16,761 shares.The stock last traded at $100.22 and had previously closed at $103.42.

Bank First Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $1.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.52 and a beta of 0.32. 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 firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $100.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $97.83.

Bank First (NASDAQ:BFC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The company reported $1.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.55 by $0.19. Bank First had a return on equity of 10.53% and a net margin of 29.00%. Analysts forecast that Bank First Co. will post 6.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bank First Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 26th will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 26th. Bank First’s dividend payout ratio is 27.69%.

Insider Activity at Bank First

In related news, Director Michael S. Stayer-Suprick acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $102.07 per share, for a total transaction of $102,070.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 3,035 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $309,782.45. This trade represents a 49.14 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 4.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bank First

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BFC. Stifel Financial Corp boosted its stake in Bank First by 18.1% during the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 47,834 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,339,000 after acquiring an additional 7,336 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Bank First by 3.4% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 238,225 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,701,000 after purchasing an additional 7,822 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of Bank First by 130.3% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 23,865 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,165,000 after purchasing an additional 13,502 shares in the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Bank First by 88.7% in the 4th quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 179,814 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,818,000 after buying an additional 84,524 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Bank First by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 222,204 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,158,000 after buying an additional 7,922 shares in the last quarter. 29.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Bank First

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.