Ranked by reported Q1 2026 13F market value
Share of total reported institutional value in BFST held by the largest 10 / 25 filers.
| # | Institution | Shares Held | Market Value | QoQ Change | Ownership % | % of Fund |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BlackRock, Inc. | 2.4M | $66.2M | +6.8% | 7.485% | 0.00% |
| 2 | VANGUARD CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC | 1.4M | $38.7M | — | 4.378% | 0.00% |
| 3 | DIMENSIONAL FUND ADVISORS LP | 1.2M | $31.5M | +7.5% | 3.566% | 0.01% |
| 4 | JANUS HENDERSON GROUP PLC | 990K | $26.8M | +0.4% | 3.027% | 0.01% |
| 5 | AMERICAN CENTURY COMPANIES INC | 890K | $24.1M | +13.1% | 2.724% | 0.01% |
| 6 | ROYCE & ASSOCIATES LP | 836K | $22.6M | +1.6% | 2.558% | 0.22% |
| 7 | GEODE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, LLC | 810K | $21.9M | +10.8% | 2.478% | 0.00% |
| 8 | STATE STREET CORP | 661K | $17.9M | +12.0% | 2.022% | 0.00% |
| 9 | Bank of New York Mellon Corp | 442K | $11.9M | +255.8% | 1.352% | 0.00% |
| 10 | MANUFACTURERS LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, THE | 435K | $11.8M | -1.1% | 1.330% | 0.01% |
| 11 | Ranger Investment Management, L.P. | 321K | $8.7M | -0.3% | 0.983% | 0.63% |
| 12 | NORTHERN TRUST CORP | 296K | $8.0M | +13.2% | 0.906% | 0.00% |
| 13 | CHARLES SCHWAB INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT INC | 266K | $7.2M | +9.8% | 0.815% | 0.00% |
| 14 | RMB Capital Management, LLC | 250K | $6.8M | 0.0% | 0.765% | 0.12% |
| 15 | MENDON CAPITAL ADVISORS CORP | 250K | $6.8M | 0.0% | 0.765% | 2.62% |
| 16 | VANGUARD PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT LLC | 245K | $6.6M | — | 0.750% | 0.00% |
| 17 | Russell Investments Group, Ltd. | 241K | $6.5M | +3.5% | 0.738% | 0.01% |
| 18 | BANC FUNDS CO LLC | 234K | $6.3M | +22.9% | 0.717% | 1.18% |
| 19 | Fourthstone LLC | 231K | $6.2M | +74.8% | 0.707% | 1.06% |
| 20 | VANGUARD FIDUCIARY TRUST CO | 209K | $5.7M | — | 0.640% | 0.00% |
| 21 | BRIDGEWAY CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, LLC | 207K | $5.6M | +2.0% | 0.634% | 0.11% |
| 22 | FRANKLIN RESOURCES INC | 179K | $4.8M | +15.1% | 0.546% | 0.00% |
| 23 | MORGAN STANLEY | 177K | $4.8M | +2.9% | 0.542% | 0.00% |
| 24 | GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INC | 162K | $4.4M | -8.4% | 0.495% | 0.00% |
| 25 | Empowered Funds, LLC | 121K | $3.3M | +3.4% | 0.371% | 0.02% |
denotes a marquee investor (Buffett, Burry, ARK, Tiger Global, Pershing Square, Baupost and other widely-followed managers). “% of Fund” shows how much of that investor’s total 13F portfolio is invested in BFST — a direct measure of their conviction.
Filings activity in BFST during Q1 2026, grouped by how each filer changed its position.
8 quarters of 13F filings · Δ columns show change vs prior quarter
| Quarter | Inst. Holders | Δ Holders | Ownership % | Δ Ownership | Total 13F Value | Δ Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 2026 | 163 | +0.6% | 46.60% | +5.02 pp | $446M | +12% |
| Q4 2025 | 162 | +8.0% | 41.58% | +5.18 pp | $397M | +14% |
| Q3 2025 | 150 | +4.9% | 36.40% | 1.08 pp | $348M | 2.9% |
| Q2 2025 | 143 | 3.4% | 37.48% | +1.99 pp | $358M | +5.6% |
| Q1 2025 | 148 | +5.0% | 35.49% | 0.36 pp | $339M | 1.0% |
| Q4 2024 | 141 | +12% | 35.85% | +3.16 pp | $343M | +9.7% |
| Q3 2024 | 126 | +16% | 32.69% | +7.03 pp | $312M | +27% |
| Q2 2024 | 109 | — | 25.66% | — | $245M | — |
Source: SEC 13F institutional filings. Ownership % requires market cap data and will show once linked. Δ columns compare to the immediately prior filed quarter.
Quick answers to the most common questions about buying BFST stock.
Based on Q1 2026 13F filings, institutional ownership of Business First Bancshares, Inc. stands at 46.6%, held across 163 reporting institutions.
BlackRock, Inc. is the largest reported institutional holder of BFST, with approximately 2,446,961 shares worth $0.07B as of Q1 2026.
No marquee "smart money" managers (Berkshire, Burry, ARK, Tiger Global, Pershing Square, Baupost, etc.) currently appear among the top 25 institutional holders of BFST.
Our composite Smart Money Score for BFST is 47 out of 100 (Neutral). It combines net institutional buying activity, ownership shift, marquee investor presence, and holder-count growth.
25 institutions opened new positions in BFST during Q1 2026, while 24 fully exited. 107 added to existing positions and 30 trimmed.
BFST institutional ownership rose by 5.02 percentage points quarter-over-quarter, with a net change of +1 holders.
The top 10 institutions account for 61.4% of all reported 13F value in BFST, and the top 25 account for 81.9%.
All data is sourced from SEC Form 13F filings, which institutional investment managers with at least $100M in assets are required to file each quarter. We process every 13F filing from EDGAR and recompute the aggregates after each cycle. Insider transactions are sourced from Form 4 filings.
Business First Bancshares, Inc. (BFST) Institutional Ownership