Latest Ratios: P/E Ratio 11.0x · EV/EBITDA 9.6x · ROE 10.4%. (2012–2025 historical series)
Price-based multiples — how expensive the stock is relative to earnings, sales, book value, and cash flow
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market Cap | $1.0B | $775M | $680M | $624M | $505M | $584M | $371M | $341M | $280M | — | — |
| Enterprise Value | $1.1B | $915M | $844M | $1.0B | $913M | $703M | $328M | $437M | $276M | — | — |
| P/E Ratio → | 11.02 | 9.40 | 11.37 | 9.52 | 9.54 | 11.19 | 12.41 | 14.33 | 19.86 | — | — |
| P/S Ratio | 1.96 | 1.51 | 1.49 | 1.62 | 1.91 | 2.88 | 2.20 | 3.03 | 3.33 | — | — |
| P/B Ratio | 1.01 | 0.86 | 0.85 | 0.97 | 0.87 | 1.35 | 0.91 | 1.20 | 1.08 | — | — |
| P/FCF | 10.87 | 8.42 | 11.36 | 7.72 | 8.17 | 11.13 | 14.09 | 16.66 | 15.24 | — | — |
| P/OCF | 10.87 | 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
Enterprise-value multiples — capital-structure-neutral measures of total business value
| 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 | 9.58 | 7.69 | 9.55 | 10.84 | 12.43 | 10.24 | 8.22 | 13.91 | 14.88 | — | — |
| EV / EBIT | 10.06 | 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 | — | — |
Margins and return-on-capital ratios measuring operating efficiency
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% |
| 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% |
Solvency and debt-coverage ratios — lower is generally safer
| 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 |
Short-term solvency ratios and asset-utilisation metrics
| 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 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Earnings, FCF, buyback, and dividend yields — total returns to shareholders
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 | 1.9% | 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% |
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earnings Yield | 9.1% | 10.6% | 8.8% | 10.5% | 10.5% | 8.9% | 8.1% | 7.0% | 5.0% | — | — |
| FCF Yield | 9.2% | 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 | 2.2% | 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 |
CRE and construction concentration
Based on recent market data, BFST trades at a P/B ratio of 1.02, which suggests that investors are currently pricing the bank as a standard regional lender rather than a high-growth commercial franchise, despite its aggressive expansion into the competitive Texas market and specialized factoring service offerings.
The current valuation multiple appears to discount the potential for higher returns on tangible equity that could arise from the bank's pivot toward higher-margin commercial niches. Investors should monitor whether the market continues to apply a commodity-bank discount or if sustained fee-income growth warrants a re-rating toward the higher multiples observed in more specialized regional peers.
According to quarterly financial reports, BFST's ROE has remained in a narrow range between 2.1% and 2.6%, indicating that the bank's profitability is currently constrained by a stagnant net interest margin that offsets the benefits of its ongoing asset expansion and operational scaling efforts.
The decomposition of profitability suggests that while the bank is successfully growing its asset base, the lack of expansion in NIM prevents a meaningful improvement in ROE. This trend implies that the bank's reliance on interest-bearing deposits in new markets may be neutralizing the yield benefits typically associated with its specialized commercial and factoring loan portfolios.
As reported in recent filings, BFST has maintained an efficiency ratio between 37.2% and 40.9%, demonstrating that management is successfully controlling operating expenses even as the bank incurs the significant costs associated with its strategic geographic expansion into the Dallas and Houston commercial banking markets.
The stability of the efficiency ratio is a positive indicator of operational discipline, suggesting that the bank's hub-and-spoke model is effectively absorbing the overhead of new banking centers. However, the persistent 0.8% NIM warrants further investigation, as it indicates that the bank's funding costs are rising in lockstep with asset yields, limiting the potential for margin expansion.
Based on the provided balance sheet data, BFST has maintained a consistent equity-to-assets ratio of approximately 0.11, which provides a stable capital buffer that appears sufficient to support the bank's ongoing organic and inorganic growth initiatives while remaining within regulatory expectations for a regional institution.
This capital position suggests that the bank is not currently constrained by its regulatory requirements, allowing management the flexibility to pursue further acquisitions or organic loan growth. Investors should monitor whether this capital adequacy is maintained as the bank continues to deploy resources into the higher-risk construction and commercial real estate segments.
The P/E ratio is the most commonly misapplied metric for BFST, as it fails to account for the significant volatility introduced by CECL-driven provision for credit losses, which can artificially depress or inflate reported net income based on management's forward-looking economic assumptions rather than actual cash performance.
Relying on P/E ratios may lead to a distorted view of the bank's true earnings power, as these provisions do not reflect the underlying cash-generating capacity of the factoring and commercial loan segments. Analysts should instead focus on pre-provision net revenue (PPNR) to better assess the core operational performance of the bank's specialized service offerings.
Includes 30+ ratios · 14 years · Updated daily
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Quick answers to the most common questions about buying BFST stock.
Business First Bancshares, Inc.'s current P/E ratio is 11.0x. The historical average is 12.2x. This places it at the 38th percentile of its historical range.
Business First Bancshares, Inc.'s current EV/EBITDA is 9.6x. This enterprise value multiple compares the company's total value (equity + debt - cash) to its EBITDA. The historical average is 11.0x.
Business First Bancshares, Inc.'s return on equity (ROE) is 10.4%. The historical average is 7.6%.
Based on historical data, Business First Bancshares, Inc. is trading at a P/E of 11.0x. This is at the 38th percentile of its historical P/E range. Compare with industry peers and growth rates for a complete picture.
Business First Bancshares, Inc.'s current dividend yield is 1.85% with a payout ratio of 19.2%.
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.
Business First Bancshares, Inc.'s Debt/EBITDA ratio is 4.6x, indicating high leverage. A ratio above 4x may signal elevated financial risk.