BancFirst (NASDAQ:BANF) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

BancFirst (NASDAQ:BANF) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday.

BancFirst Trading Up 1.9 %

NASDAQ:BANF opened at $106.00 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $112.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $115.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.52 billion, a PE ratio of 16.46 and a beta of 0.82. BancFirst has a 12 month low of $81.21 and a 12 month high of $132.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98.

BancFirst (NASDAQ:BANF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The bank reported $1.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.07. BancFirst had a net margin of 23.52% and a return on equity of 14.21%. Research analysts predict that BancFirst will post 6.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director William Scott Martin sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.13, for a total value of $1,191,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 214,499 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,553,265.87. The trade was a 4.45 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director F Ford Drummond sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.97, for a total transaction of $589,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 6,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $707,820. This trade represents a 45.45 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 25,000 shares of company stock worth $2,994,350. 33.89% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BancFirst

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of BancFirst by 155.3% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 314 shares of the bank’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of BancFirst by 211.2% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 582 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $64,000 after buying an additional 395 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its stake in BancFirst by 779.4% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 554 shares of the bank’s stock worth $65,000 after acquiring an additional 491 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its holdings in BancFirst by 11.5% in the fourth quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 862 shares of the bank’s stock worth $101,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new position in BancFirst in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $135,000. 51.72% of the stock is currently owned by 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.