Bank First (NASDAQ:BFC) Sees Large Volume Increase – Still a Buy?

Shares of Bank First Co. (NASDAQ:BFC) saw unusually-high trading volume on Thursday . Approximately 22,955 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 35% from the previous session’s volume of 17,059 shares.The stock last traded at $99.87 and had previously closed at $99.60.

Bank First Price Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average is $101.03 and its 200-day moving average is $98.29. The firm has a market cap of $1.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.51 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 announced 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 net margin of 29.00% and a return on equity of 10.53%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Bank First Co. will post 6.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bank First Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 26th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 26th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.79%. Bank First’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.69%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Michael S. Stayer-Suprick purchased 1,000 shares of Bank First stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $102.07 per share, for a total transaction of $102,070.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,035 shares in the company, valued at approximately $309,782.45. This represents a 49.14 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 4.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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

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.