Wall Street analysts forecast that Business First (BFST) will report quarterly earnings of $0.72 per share in its upcoming release, pointing to a year-over-year increase of 9.1%. It is anticipated that revenues will amount to $81.5 million, exhibiting an increase of 5% compared to the year-ago quarter.
Over the last 30 days, there has been no revision in the consensus EPS estimate for the quarter. This signifies the covering analysts' collective reconsideration of their initial forecasts over the course of this timeframe.
Prior to a company's earnings announcement, it is crucial to consider revisions to earnings estimates. This serves as a significant indicator for predicting potential investor actions regarding the stock. Empirical research has consistently demonstrated a robust correlation between trends in earnings estimate revision and the short-term price performance of a stock.
While investors typically use consensus earnings and revenue estimates as a yardstick to evaluate the company's quarterly performance, scrutinizing analysts' projections for some of the company's key metrics can offer a more comprehensive perspective.
With that in mind, let's delve into the average projections of some Business First metrics that are commonly tracked and projected by analysts on Wall Street.
The collective assessment of analysts points to an estimated 'Net Interest Margin' of 3.7%. Compared to the current estimate, the company reported 3.6% in the same quarter of the previous year.
Analysts expect 'Efficiency Ratio' to come in at 60.7%. Compared to the present estimate, the company reported 63.9% in the same quarter last year.
Analysts' assessment points toward 'Total Other Income' reaching $11.48 million. The estimate is in contrast to the year-ago figure of $11.86 million.
The combined assessment of analysts suggests that 'Net Interest Income' will likely reach $69.13 million. Compared to the present estimate, the company reported $65.73 million in the same quarter last year.
View all Key Company Metrics for Business First here>>>
Shares of Business First have experienced a change of -0.8% in the past month compared to the -0.4% move of the Zacks S&P 500 composite. With a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), BFST is expected to mirror the overall market performance in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>> .
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Business First Bancshares, Inc. (BFST): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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