Business First Bancshares, Inc. (BFST) Financial Ratios
14 years of historical data (2012–2025) · Financial Services · Banks - Regional
EV/EBITDA
↓
8.75
↓-14% vs avg
5yr avg: 10.15
30Y Low7.7·High14.9
P/FCF
↓
9.79
+5% vs avg
5yr avg: 9.36
30Y Low7.7·High16.7
P/B Ratio
↓
0.91
-7% vs avg
5yr avg: 0.98
30Y Low0.9·High1.3
ROE
↓
10.4%
-4% vs avg
5yr avg: 10.8%
30Y Low3%·High12%
Debt/EBITDA
↑
4.63
↓-15% vs avg
5yr avg: 5.43
30Y Low2.7·High7.9
Percentile shows where the current value sits in 30-year historical distribution. Sparklines show 5-year trend.
BFST Valuation Multiples
Price-based multiples — how expensive the stock is relative to earnings, sales, book value, and cash flow
Business First Bancshares, Inc. trades at 9.9x earnings, roughly in line with its 5-year average of 10.2x, sitting at the 38th percentile of its historical range. Compared to the Financial Services sector median P/E of 13.1x, the stock trades at a discount of 25%. On a free-cash-flow basis, the stock trades at 9.8x P/FCF, roughly in line with the 5-year average of 9.4x.
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market Cap | $902M | $775M | $680M | $624M | $505M | $584M | $371M | $341M | $280M | — | — |
| Enterprise Value | $1.0B | $915M | $844M | $1.0B | $913M | $703M | $328M | $437M | $276M | — | — |
| P/E Ratio → | 9.92 | 9.40 | 11.37 | 9.52 | 9.54 | 11.19 | 12.41 | 14.33 | 19.86 | — | — |
| P/S Ratio | 1.76 | 1.51 | 1.49 | 1.62 | 1.91 | 2.88 | 2.20 | 3.03 | 3.33 | — | — |
| P/B Ratio | 0.91 | 0.86 | 0.85 | 0.97 | 0.87 | 1.35 | 0.91 | 1.20 | 1.08 | — | — |
| P/FCF | 9.79 | 8.42 | 11.36 | 7.72 | 8.17 | 11.13 | 14.09 | 16.66 | 15.24 | — | — |
| P/OCF | 9.79 | 8.42 | 11.07 | 6.75 | 7.26 | 10.35 | 12.66 | 13.96 | 14.51 | — | — |
P/E links to full P/E history page with 30-year chart
BFST EV Ratios
Enterprise-value multiples — capital-structure-neutral measures of total business value
Business First Bancshares, Inc.'s enterprise value stands at 8.7x EBITDA, 14% below its 5-year average of 10.1x. The Financial Services sector median is 11.5x, placing the stock at a 24% discount on an enterprise-value basis.
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EV / Revenue | — | 1.79 | 1.84 | 2.68 | 3.46 | 3.46 | 1.95 | 3.88 | 3.29 | — | — |
| EV / EBITDA | 8.75 | 7.69 | 9.55 | 10.84 | 12.43 | 10.24 | 8.22 | 13.91 | 14.88 | — | — |
| EV / EBIT | 9.19 | 8.07 | 10.16 | 11.40 | 13.30 | 10.90 | 8.93 | 14.65 | 15.88 | — | — |
| EV / FCF | — | 9.94 | 14.10 | 12.78 | 14.77 | 13.40 | 12.45 | 21.38 | 15.03 | — | — |
BFST Profitability
Margins and return-on-capital ratios measuring operating efficiency
Business First Bancshares, Inc. earns an operating margin of 22.2%, roughly in line with the Financial Services sector average. Operating margins have compressed from 23.5% to 22.2% over the past 3 years, signaling potential cost pressures or competitive headwinds. ROE of 10.4% is modest. ROIC of 6.2% represents adequate returns on invested capital versus a sector median of 5.7%.
Margins
Full margin charts and quarterly trend are on the Earnings History page
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 60.9% | 60.9% | 56.7% | 63.0% | 82.0% | 87.9% | 80.1% | 77.0% | 80.5% | 80.0% | 85.6% |
| Operating Margin | 22.2% | 22.2% | 18.2% | 23.5% | 26.0% | 31.8% | 21.8% | 26.5% | 20.7% | 15.6% | 13.8% |
| Net Profit Margin | 17.2% | 17.2% | 14.2% | 18.4% | 20.5% | 25.7% | 17.8% | 21.1% | 16.8% | 8.5% | 10.5% |
Return on Capital
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROE | 10.4% | 10.4% | 9.0% | 11.6% | 10.7% | 12.4% | 8.6% | 8.7% | 6.4% | 3.3% | 4.5% |
| ROA | 1.1% | 1.1% | 0.9% | 1.1% | 1.0% | 1.2% | 0.9% | 1.1% | 0.8% | 0.4% | 0.5% |
| ROIC | 6.2% | 6.2% | 4.9% | 5.6% | 5.8% | 8.5% | 5.6% | 5.4% | 4.3% | 3.1% | 3.1% |
| ROCE | 8.9% | 8.9% | 6.3% | 7.4% | 7.8% | 11.3% | 7.9% | 7.8% | 5.7% | 4.2% | 1.1% |
BFST Leverage & Debt
Solvency and debt-coverage ratios — lower is generally safer
Business First Bancshares, Inc. carries a Debt/EBITDA ratio of 4.6x, which is highly leveraged (12% above the sector average of 4.1x). Net debt stands at $140M ($551M total debt minus $411M cash). Interest coverage of just 0.6x is concerning — the company has limited headroom to absorb earnings volatility before struggling with debt service.
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debt / Equity | 0.61 | 0.61 | 0.60 | 0.99 | 0.96 | 0.43 | 0.26 | 0.65 | 0.35 | 0.45 | 0.47 |
| Debt / EBITDA | 4.63 | 4.63 | 5.47 | 6.67 | 7.63 | 2.73 | 2.65 | 5.92 | 4.97 | 7.95 | 6.69 |
| Net Debt / Equity | — | 0.16 | 0.21 | 0.63 | 0.70 | 0.28 | -0.11 | 0.34 | -0.01 | -0.15 | 0.10 |
| Net Debt / EBITDA | 1.18 | 1.18 | 1.86 | 4.29 | 5.55 | 1.73 | -1.08 | 3.07 | -0.21 | -2.67 | 1.43 |
| Debt / FCF | — | 1.52 | 2.74 | 5.06 | 6.59 | 2.27 | -1.64 | 4.72 | -0.21 | -3.63 | 1.70 |
| Interest Coverage | 0.59 | 0.59 | 0.44 | 0.66 | 1.88 | 3.90 | 1.66 | 1.28 | 1.24 | 1.24 | 1.15 |
BFST Liquidity & Efficiency
Short-term solvency ratios and asset-utilisation metrics
The current ratio of 0.15x is below 1.0, meaning current liabilities exceed current assets. The current ratio has declined from 0.21x to 0.15x over the past 3 years.
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current Ratio | 0.15 | 0.15 | 0.06 | 0.21 | 0.22 | 0.27 | 0.22 | 0.20 | 0.24 | 0.27 | 0.26 |
| Quick Ratio | 0.15 | 0.15 | 0.06 | 0.21 | 0.22 | 0.27 | 0.22 | 0.20 | 0.24 | 0.27 | 0.26 |
| Cash Ratio | 0.06 | 0.06 | 0.05 | 0.04 | 0.03 | 0.02 | 0.04 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.10 | 0.04 |
| Asset Turnover | — | 0.06 | 0.06 | 0.06 | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.05 | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.04 |
| Inventory Turnover | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Days Sales Outstanding | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
BFST Shareholder Yields
Earnings, FCF, buyback, and dividend yields — total returns to shareholders
Business First Bancshares, Inc. returns 2.5% to shareholders annually — split between a 2.1% dividend yield and 0.4% buyback yield. The payout ratio of 19.2% is conservative, leaving significant room for dividend growth or reinvestment. The earnings yield of 10.1% (inverse of P/E) provides a useful comparison to bond yields when assessing the stock's relative attractiveness to fixed income.
Dividends
Full dividend history and growth charts are on the Dividend History page
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend Yield | 2.1% | 2.2% | 2.2% | 2.0% | 2.1% | 1.6% | 2.0% | 1.5% | 1.2% | — | — |
| Payout Ratio | 19.2% | 19.2% | 22.8% | 17.8% | 20.0% | 18.1% | 25.1% | 21.3% | 23.3% | 37.0% | 20.7% |
Total Shareholder Return Metrics
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earnings Yield | 10.1% | 10.6% | 8.8% | 10.5% | 10.5% | 8.9% | 8.1% | 7.0% | 5.0% | — | — |
| FCF Yield | 10.2% | 11.9% | 8.8% | 13.0% | 12.2% | 9.0% | 7.1% | 6.0% | 6.6% | — | — |
| Buyback Yield | 0.4% | 0.5% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1.9% | 1.6% | 0.7% | 0.0% | — | — |
| Total Shareholder Yield | 2.5% | 2.7% | 2.2% | 2.0% | 2.1% | 3.5% | 3.6% | 2.2% | 1.2% | — | — |
| Shares Outstanding | — | $30M | $26M | $25M | $23M | $21M | $18M | $14M | $12M | $12M | $7M |
Peer Comparison
Compare BFST with 10 similar companies in its peer group
| Company | Market Cap | P/E | EV/EBITDA | P/FCF | Gross Margin | Op Margin | ROE | ROIC | Debt/EBITDA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 BFSTYou | $902M | 9.9 | 8.7 | 9.8 | 60.9% | 22.2% | 10.4% | 6.2% | 4.6 |
 SFBS | $4B | 15.7 | 16.8 | — | 51.8% | 33.6% | 16.0% | 7.3% | 4.4 |
 FFIN | $5B | 20.8 | 14.2 | 15.7 | 70.8% | 36.8% | 14.4% | 11.0% | 0.7 |
 TCBI | $4B | 14.8 | 7.3 | 12.8 | 60.6% | 22.2% | 9.4% | 7.0% | 2.0 |
 HOMB | $5B | 13.4 | 10.1 | 12.5 | 65.6% | 36.0% | 10.4% | 7.2% | 2.2 |
 LKFN | $2B | 15.6 | 13.5 | 15.7 | 61.0% | 29.8% | 14.3% | 11.6% | 1.4 |
 HOPE | $2B | 27.2 | 17.2 | 10.6 | 48.6% | 8.3% | 2.6% | 2.3% | 4.7 |
 BANF | $4B | 17.6 | 1.0 | 16.8 | 68.5% | 30.3% | 14.2% | 12.8% | 0.3 |
 TRMK | $3B | 12.1 | 9.5 | 11.4 | 71.0% | 25.5% | 11.0% | 7.1% | 3.4 |
 HBCP | $512M | 11.1 | 7.4 | 11.5 | 70.5% | 27.7% | 11.1% | 7.7% | 1.0 |
 BYFC | $92M | -3.0 | — | — | 51.9% | -38.8% | -9.0% | -3.7% | — |
| Financial Services Median | — | 13.1 | 11.5 | 10.6 | 63.6% | 21.6% | 9.4% | 5.7% | 4.1 |
Peer selection based on competitive and market overlap. Compare multiple stocks →
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Includes 30+ ratios · 14 years · Updated daily
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Start ComparisonBFST — Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the most common questions about buying BFST stock.
What is Business First Bancshares, Inc.'s P/E ratio?
Business First Bancshares, Inc.'s current P/E ratio is 9.9x. The historical average is 12.2x. This places it at the 38th percentile of its historical range.
What is Business First Bancshares, Inc.'s EV/EBITDA?
Business First Bancshares, Inc.'s current EV/EBITDA is 8.7x. This enterprise value multiple compares the company's total value (equity + debt - cash) to its EBITDA. The historical average is 11.0x.
What is Business First Bancshares, Inc.'s ROE?
Business First Bancshares, Inc.'s return on equity (ROE) is 10.4%. The historical average is 7.6%.
Is BFST stock overvalued?
Based on historical data, Business First Bancshares, Inc. is trading at a P/E of 9.9x. This is at the 38th percentile of its historical P/E range. Compare with industry peers and growth rates for a complete picture.
What is Business First Bancshares, Inc.'s dividend yield?
Business First Bancshares, Inc.'s current dividend yield is 2.06% with a payout ratio of 19.2%.
What are Business First Bancshares, Inc.'s profit margins?
Business First Bancshares, Inc. has 60.9% gross margin and 22.2% operating margin. Operating margin above 20% indicates strong pricing power and cost efficiency.
How much debt does Business First Bancshares, Inc. have?
Business First Bancshares, Inc.'s Debt/EBITDA ratio is 4.6x, indicating high leverage. A ratio above 4x may signal elevated financial risk.