---
schema_version: "secwatch.filing_event.v1"
accession: "0001437749-24-001949"
form_type: "8-K"
ticker: "BFST"
cik: "0001624322"
company_name: "Business First Bancshares, Inc."
filed_at: "2024-01-23T23:59:59+00:00"
generated_at: "2026-06-06T20:03:50.042283+00:00"
event_type: "earnings"
sentiment: "neutral"
materiality_score: 0.7
calibrated_materiality_score: 0.7
confidence: "high"
source: SEC EDGAR
---

# Business First Bancshares reports FY2023 net income $65.6M ($2.59 EPS); Q4 net income $14.5M; $0.14 dividend

## Summary
- FY2023 net income available to common shareholders $65.6M, diluted EPS $2.59, up $12.7M from prior year.
- Q4 2023 net income $14.5M ($0.57 diluted EPS), down $4.6M from Q3; core net income $16.8M ($0.66 EPS).
- Board declares $0.14 quarterly common dividend, payable Feb 28 to holders of record Feb 15; also preferred dividend $18.75/share.
- Executed $71.5M security repositioning, selling low-yield 1.98% bonds, reinvesting at 5.17%, incurring $2.5M loss with 1.1-year earnback.
- Loans held for investment increased $72.5M (5.85% annualized) in Q4; nonperforming loans stable at 0.34%.

## SEC filing metadata
- accession: 0001437749-24-001949
- form_type: 8-K
- ticker: BFST
- cik: 0001624322
- company_name: Business First Bancshares, Inc.
- filed_at: 2024-01-23T23:59:59+00:00
- event_type: earnings
- sentiment: neutral
- materiality_score: 0.7
- calibrated_materiality_score: 0.7
- confidence: high
- sec_items: 2.02, 7.01
- EDGAR index: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1624322/000143774924001949/0001437749-24-001949-index.htm
- EDGAR primary document: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1624322/000143774924001949/bfbi20240122_8k.htm

## Machine-readable alternates
- HTML: https://secwatch.observer/filing/0001437749-24-001949
- JSON: https://secwatch.observer/filing/0001437749-24-001949.json
- Plain text: https://secwatch.observer/filing/0001437749-24-001949.txt

## Key facts
- Earnings Releases
  Business First Bancshares, Inc. reported the quarter ended December 31, 2023 results: net income $14.5 million, EPS $0.57 per diluted common share.
  - Period: the quarter ended December 31, 2023
  - Net income: $14.5 million
  - EPS: $0.57 per diluted common share
  - Result: reported results
  source text: For the quarter ended December 31, 2023, Business First reported net income available to common shareholders of $14.5 million, or $0.57 per diluted common share
  evidence_url: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1624322/000143774924001949/0001437749-24-001949-index.htm
- Earnings Releases
  Business First Bancshares, Inc. reported the year ended December 31, 2023 results: net income $65.6 million, EPS $2.59 per diluted common share.
  - Period: the year ended December 31, 2023
  - Net income: $65.6 million
  - EPS: $2.59 per diluted common share
  - Result: reported results
  source text: Business First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ: BFST) (Business First), parent company of b1BANK, today announced its unaudited results for the year ended December 31, 2023, including net income available to common shareholders of $65.6 million or $2.59 per diluted common share
  evidence_url: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1624322/000143774924001949/0001437749-24-001949-index.htm

This AI-assisted summary is a reading aid. Review the linked SEC EDGAR filing before relying on any specific claim.