BancFirst (NASDAQ:BANF) Downgraded by StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of BancFirst (NASDAQ:BANF) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report sent to investors on Saturday morning.

Separately, Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of BancFirst from $84.50 to $95.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd.

BancFirst Stock Performance

NASDAQ BANF opened at $107.70 on Friday. BancFirst has a 1 year low of $79.99 and a 1 year high of $110.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.95. The firm has a market cap of $3.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.60 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $89.84 and a 200-day moving average price of $88.87.

BancFirst (NASDAQ:BANF) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 18th. The bank reported $1.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.09. BancFirst had a net margin of 29.64% and a return on equity of 14.10%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that BancFirst will post 6.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

BancFirst Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 15th. Investors of record on Friday, June 28th were given a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 28th. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.60%. BancFirst’s payout ratio is currently 28.10%.

Insider Activity at BancFirst

In related news, Director William Scott Martin sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.50, for a total transaction of $537,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 326,904 shares in the company, valued at $35,142,180. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, Director William Scott Martin sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.50, for a total transaction of $537,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 326,904 shares in the company, valued at $35,142,180. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Dennis Jay Hannah sold 5,496 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.23, for a total transaction of $506,896.08. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 10,714 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $988,152.22. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 25,700 shares of company stock worth $2,495,242. 33.89% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BancFirst

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BANF. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new stake in BancFirst during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC purchased a new stake in BancFirst during the first quarter valued at about $35,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. lifted its holdings in BancFirst by 557.1% during the first quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 506 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 429 shares during the last quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC lifted its holdings in BancFirst by 56.8% during the first quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 842 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 305 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new stake in BancFirst during the first quarter valued at about $105,000. 51.72% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About BancFirst

BancFirst Corporation operates as the bank holding company for BancFirst that provides a range of commercial banking services to retail customers, and small to medium-sized businesses. The company operates through BancFirst Metropolitan Banks, BancFirst Community Banks, Pegasus, Worthington, and Other Financial Services segments.