BancFirst (NASDAQ:BANF) Lowered to “Sell” Rating by StockNews.com

BancFirst (NASDAQ:BANF) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday.

BancFirst Stock Performance

NASDAQ BANF traded down $1.71 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $100.43. The company had a trading volume of 148,145 shares, compared to its average volume of 98,976. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The firm has a market cap of $3.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.59 and a beta of 0.82. BancFirst has a fifty-two week low of $81.21 and a fifty-two week high of $132.29. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $114.85 and a 200-day simple moving average of $115.75.

BancFirst (NASDAQ:BANF) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The bank reported $1.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.07. BancFirst had a net margin of 23.52% and a return on equity of 14.21%. Equities analysts predict that BancFirst will post 6.52 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at BancFirst

In other news, Director William Scott Martin sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.13, for a total transaction of $1,191,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 214,499 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,553,265.87. This represents a 4.45 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director F Ford Drummond sold 5,000 shares of BancFirst stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.97, for a total value of $589,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 6,000 shares in the company, valued at $707,820. The trade was a 45.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 25,000 shares of company stock valued at $2,994,350 over the last 90 days. 33.89% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BancFirst

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in BancFirst by 155.3% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 314 shares of the bank’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of BancFirst by 779.4% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 554 shares of the bank’s stock worth $65,000 after acquiring an additional 491 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC boosted its position in BancFirst by 11.5% during the fourth quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 862 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $101,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC purchased a new position in BancFirst in the fourth quarter valued at about $135,000. Finally, KBC Group NV increased its position in BancFirst by 85.6% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,162 shares of the bank’s stock worth $136,000 after purchasing an additional 536 shares during the last quarter. 51.72% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

BancFirst Company Profile

BancFirst Corporation operates as the bank holding company for BancFirst that provides a range of commercial banking services to retail customers, and small to medium-sized businesses. The company operates through BancFirst Metropolitan Banks, BancFirst Community Banks, Pegasus, Worthington, and Other Financial Services segments.