Short Interest in Bank First Co. (NASDAQ:BFC) Drops By 11.2%

Bank First Co. (NASDAQ:BFC) saw a large decline in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 139,600 shares, a decline of 11.2% from the November 30th total of 157,200 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 17,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 8.1 days.

Bank First Trading Up 1.1 %

NASDAQ:BFC traded up $1.14 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $100.28. The stock had a trading volume of 6,914 shares, compared to its average volume of 20,131. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $101.92 and a 200 day moving average of $92.72. The company has a market capitalization of $1.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.32 and a beta of 0.34. Bank First has a one year low of $74.90 and a one year high of $110.49. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $1.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.11. Bank First had a return on equity of 10.10% and a net margin of 32.02%. The business had revenue of $58.93 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.60 million. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Bank First will post 6.35 EPS for the current year.

Bank First Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 23rd will be given a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.79%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 23rd. This is a boost from Bank First’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Bank First’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of Bank First from $99.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bank First

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Bank First by 130.3% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 23,865 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,165,000 after buying an additional 13,502 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its position in Bank First by 339.9% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 15,635 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,417,000 after buying an additional 12,081 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Bank First by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 222,204 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,158,000 after purchasing an additional 7,922 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its position in Bank First by 3.4% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 238,225 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,701,000 after purchasing an additional 7,822 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp boosted its position in Bank First by 18.1% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 47,834 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,339,000 after purchasing an additional 7,336 shares in the last quarter. 29.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.