Business First Bancshares Reports Strong Q4 Earnings

BATON ROUGE, La. - Business First Bancshares, Inc. (BFST) announced fourth-quarter net income of $16.5 million, surpassing market expectations.

Adjusted for non-recurring costs, earnings reached 66 cents per share, beating analysts' estimates of 46 cents. Revenue for the quarter was $128 million, with net operating revenue of $77.6 million.

For the full year, the company reported a profit of $65.1 million, or $2.26 per share, on revenue of $271.6 million.

Despite a 1% decline in share value year-to-date, BFST's stock rose by approximately 9% within the last 12 months, closing at $25.44 on Thursday.