Bank First (NASDAQ:BFC) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Time to Buy?

Bank First Co. (NASDAQ:BFC) saw an uptick in trading volume on Friday . 17,391 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 9% from the previous session’s volume of 19,214 shares.The stock last traded at $102.51 and had previously closed at $103.52.

Bank First Stock Performance

The business has a 50 day moving average price of $102.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $98.98. The stock has a market cap of $1.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.67 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02.

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

Bank First Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 26th will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 26th. Bank First’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.69%.

Insider Transactions at Bank First

In other news, Director Michael S. Stayer-Suprick acquired 1,000 shares of Bank First stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $102.07 per share, for a total transaction of $102,070.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,035 shares in the company, valued at $309,782.45. This trade represents a 49.14 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Daniel C. Mcconeghy bought 380 shares of Bank First stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $105.72 per share, with a total value of $40,173.60. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 2,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $211,440. The trade was a 23.46 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 4.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Bank First

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Bank First during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Bank First by 771.4% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 305 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in shares of Bank First in the fourth quarter valued at about $189,000. Quest Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Bank First by 212.6% during the 3rd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 2,057 shares of the company’s stock worth $187,000 after purchasing an additional 1,399 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hanlon Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Bank First during the 4th quarter worth about $218,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 29.95% of the company’s stock.

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.