ValueScreener company report

Business First Bancshares, Inc. (BFST)

Name: Business First Bancshares, Inc. (BFST) filed financial figures
Creator: ValueScreener

NASDAQ / Financial Services / Banks - Regional

Share price

31.13 USD Market dataClose of Oct 15, 2026

Market capitalisation

1.01B USD Market dataClose of Oct 15, 2026

Market data: Oct 15, 2026
Filed accounts: FY2025, filed Feb 26, 2026
Ratios computed: Oct 15, 2026
Filed years: 12, FY2013 to FY2025

Four kinds of sourceSEC filingCompany statementMarket dataComputedWhat each means

SEC filingFiled with the SEC: Read from a statement the company filed with the SEC, with the form, fiscal year, filing date and accession beside it.
Company statementCompany statement: What the company says about itself in a filing: an 8-K item, the auditor, its own segment names.
Market dataMarket data: Prices, market value and what analysts publish, with the date they are as of.
ComputedComputed by ValueScreener: Worked out by us from the other three, with the inputs and the formula one press away. A score is a research output, not a rating or a recommendation.

Reading

1 of 10

Overview

What the business is, what it costs, and how it reads on four questions.

Market dataSEC filingComputed

Quality

Return on equity

9.8% Computed

From the FY2025 filing

Read quality

Financial strength

Debt to equity

n/m Computed

From the FY2025 filing

Why n/m

A bank's deposits are its raw material, not borrowings. Debt to equity computed over a deposit-funded balance sheet says nothing about solvency. Use the equity to assets ratio instead.

Read financial strength

Valuation

Price to earnings

11.08x Computed

FY2025 accounts, priced at the latest close

Read valuation

Cash generation

Dividend yield

1.9% Computed

FY2025 accounts, priced at the latest close

Read cash generation

Revenue and net income, as filed

Revenue Net income10 filed fiscal years, from the annual reports; the table in Filings names each document.

Named tests met: 2 of 30 Which tests

The business, and the score behind its five axes

The reading, in brief

Is it cheap

Price to earnings is 11.08x at the close of 2026-10-15 on FY2025 figures; the lines are 15.00x (Graham's defensive ceiling) and, by market convention, 10.00x, 25.00x and 40.00x, and this sits between 10.00x and 15.00x.

Today, against the Banks - Regional industry (277 companies), 11.08x sits at the 18th percentile; the middle half of that group runs from 11.79x to 16.19x.

Is it good

Return on equity was 9.8% in FY2025, in the band labelled "Ordinary" (8.0% to 15.0%), on lines anchored on Damodaran's cost-of-capital data.

Today, against the Banks - Regional industry (299 companies), 9.8% sits at the 57th percentile; the middle half of that group runs from 6.5% to 11.6%.

Year by year against peers: Whether Business First Bancshares, Inc.'s return on equity stayed above the median of the Banks - Regional industry, year by year. (FY2024 to FY2025, 2 fiscal years of Business First Bancshares, Inc. with a comparable figure)
The direction: Which way Business First Bancshares, Inc.'s return on equity has moved, and how steadily. (FY2016 to FY2025, 10 filed years of Business First Bancshares, Inc.)
What could explain it: What in Business First Bancshares, Inc.'s filed statements could explain the movements. (3 readings drawn from the statement lines Business First Bancshares, Inc. filed)
What to check next: What to check next on Business First Bancshares, Inc., and where in its filings. (2 questions for Business First Bancshares, Inc.)
In one paragraph: One paragraph on Business First Bancshares, Inc.'s returns, cash, balance sheet and price. (4 of sixteen figures read for Business First Bancshares, Inc.)

These are BFST’s filed figures. The research desk says what they mean, against peers and its own years, with what to check next.

Research BFSTPart of Serious. New accounts start with 30 days of Professional, free, no card.

2 of 10

What changed

The newest filing, what it moved, and when the next one is due.

SEC filingCompany statement

The newest accounts on file are the FY2025 annual report: 10-K, filed Feb 26, 2026, accession 0001624322-26-000018.

3 of 10

Quality

The returns the business earns on its capital, and the margins behind them.

SEC filingComputed

Business First Bancshares, Inc: returns on capital and margins, each with its source
Figure	Value, source and document
Return on invested capital, after tax Why n/m Invested capital is equity plus debt less cash. A financial company's debt and cash are operating positions, so returns measured against that base are not comparable to an operating business.	n/m ComputedFY2025 10-K, filed Feb 26, 2026, 0001624322-26-000018
Return on equity	9.8% ComputedFY2025 10-K, filed Feb 26, 2026, 0001624322-26-000018
Return on capital employed, pre-tax Why n/m Invested capital is equity plus debt less cash. A financial company's debt and cash are operating positions, so returns measured against that base are not comparable to an operating business.	n/m ComputedFY2025 10-K, filed Feb 26, 2026, 0001624322-26-000018
Return on assets	1.1% ComputedFY2025 10-K, filed Feb 26, 2026, 0001624322-26-000018
Gross margin Why n/m This filer reports no gross profit line, so there is no gross margin to compute. Banks, insurers and REITs do not present cost of revenue.	n/m ComputedFY2025 10-K, filed Feb 26, 2026, 0001624322-26-000018
Operating margin Why n/a No operating income line is filed for this year.	n/a ComputedFY2025 10-K, filed Feb 26, 2026, 0001624322-26-000018
Net margin	18.9% ComputedFY2025 10-K, filed Feb 26, 2026, 0001624322-26-000018

BFST 18.9%

16.9%20.3%

Net margin: BFST against the 5 companies named under Valuation context, each as filed for its own latest year. Placement only: no average is drawn.

4 of 10

Financial strength

What it owes against what it owns, and whether it can meet what falls due.

SEC filingComputedCompany statement

Business First Bancshares, Inc: leverage, liquidity and distress, each with its source
Figure	Value, source and document
Debt to equity Why n/m A bank's deposits are its raw material, not borrowings. Debt to equity computed over a deposit-funded balance sheet says nothing about solvency. Use the equity to assets ratio instead.	n/m ComputedFY2025 10-K, filed Feb 26, 2026, 0001624322-26-000018
Current ratio Why n/m Banks and insurers present an unclassified balance sheet under Regulation S-X, with no split between current and non-current. A current ratio needs that split, so there is none to show.	n/m ComputedFY2025 10-K, filed Feb 26, 2026, 0001624322-26-000018
Quick ratio Why n/m Banks and insurers present an unclassified balance sheet under Regulation S-X, with no split between current and non-current. A current ratio needs that split, so there is none to show.	n/m ComputedFY2025 10-K, filed Feb 26, 2026, 0001624322-26-000018
Interest coverage Why n/m Interest is what a lender pays for its inventory of money, not a financing charge sitting below the operating line. Interest coverage is not defined for lenders.	n/m ComputedFY2025 10-K, filed Feb 26, 2026, 0001624322-26-000018
Altman Z-score Why n/m Altman's Z-Score was estimated on manufacturers and explicitly excludes financial firms. A financial company scores in the distress zone by construction, so the number would be wrong rather than alarming. Not applicable to financials.	n/m ComputedClose of Oct 15, 2026 · FY2025 10-K, filed Feb 26, 2026, 0001624322-26-000018
Net debt Why n/a The FY2025 balance sheet carries no net debt we could read.	n/a ComputedFY2025 10-K, filed Feb 26, 2026, 0001624322-26-000018

Total assets Total liabilities Shareholders’ equity

The balance sheet, line by line

Financial health

What Business First Bancshares, Inc owned and owed at the end of fiscal 2025, from the balance sheet it filed (10-K, filed Feb 26, 2026, 0001624322-26-000018).

Business First Bancshares, Inc: balance sheet position
Total assets	8.21B FiledFY2025 10-K, filed Feb 26, 2026
Total liabilities	7.32B FiledFY2025 10-K, filed Feb 26, 2026
Shareholders' equity	896.9M FiledFY2025 10-K, filed Feb 26, 2026
Cash	411.2M FiledFY2025 10-K, filed Feb 26, 2026
Total debt	n/a FiledFY2025 10-K, filed Feb 26, 2026
Net debt	n/a
Current ratio	n/m
Debt to equity	n/m

Debt to equity: FY2025: A bank's deposits are its raw material, not borrowings. Debt to equity computed over a deposit-funded balance sheet says nothing about solvency. Use the equity to assets ratio instead.
Current ratio: FY2025: Banks and insurers present an unclassified balance sheet under Regulation S-X, with no split between current and non-current. A current ratio needs that split, so there is none to show.
Interest cover: FY2025: Interest is what a lender pays for its inventory of money, not a financing charge sitting below the operating line. Interest coverage is not defined for lenders.

Read from the filed balance sheet for each year, with the income statement of the same year supplying operating profit where a ratio needs it. Nothing here is a view on whether this company is sound.

5 of 10

Valuation context

What the market charges for it, against its own record and companies like it.

Market dataSEC filingComputed

Business First Bancshares, Inc: what the market charges, each with its source
Figure	Value, source and document
Price to earnings	11.08x ComputedClose of Oct 15, 2026 · FY2025 10-K, filed Feb 26, 2026, 0001624322-26-000018
P/E on trailing twelve months	10.92x ComputedClose of Oct 15, 2026 · Trailing four quarters, each as known on the day; the quarterly filings are listed under Filings
Price to book	1.03x ComputedClose of Oct 15, 2026 · FY2025 10-K, filed Feb 26, 2026, 0001624322-26-000018
Price to sales	1.98x ComputedClose of Oct 15, 2026 · FY2025 10-K, filed Feb 26, 2026, 0001624322-26-000018
Enterprise value to EBIT Why n/m Enterprise value adds debt and subtracts cash. For a financial company both are the business itself, so the resulting multiple has no economic meaning.	n/m ComputedClose of Oct 15, 2026 · FY2025 10-K, filed Feb 26, 2026, 0001624322-26-000018
Enterprise value to EBITDA Why n/m Enterprise value adds debt and subtracts cash. For a financial company both are the business itself, so the resulting multiple has no economic meaning.	n/m ComputedClose of Oct 15, 2026 · FY2025 10-K, filed Feb 26, 2026, 0001624322-26-000018
Price to earnings over growth	0.99 ComputedClose of Oct 15, 2026 · FY2025 10-K, filed Feb 26, 2026, 0001624322-26-000018
Diluted earnings per share	2.79 USD FiledFY2025 10-K, filed Feb 26, 2026, 0001624322-26-000018
Graham number	43.81 USD ComputedFY2025 10-K, filed Feb 26, 2026, 0001624322-26-000018

We publish no fair value or price target of our own. Value BFST on your own assumptions in the DCF workbench, starting from the filed figures.

Its own record, and companies like it

Valuation

What the market charges for Business First Bancshares, Inc today, and the multiples it has carried. No value of ours: the figures are the filings’ and the market’s.

Business First Bancshares, Inc: valuation
Share price	31.13 USD
Market capitalisation	1.01B USD
Enterprise value to EBITDA	n/m
Graham number	43.81 USD
Diluted earnings per share, FY2025	2.79 USD

Price to earnings on trailing twelve months, a different basis from the fiscal-year P/E above, since Apr 11, 2018: low 5.54x, median 10.52x, high 47.38x, latest 10.92x. 2,139 trading days with a meaningful ratio. Each close over the trailing twelve months of earnings as known that day: a quarter counts from the day it was filed.

Companies like Business First Bancshares, Inc

Same industry (Banks - Regional) and size band (Small, 300M to 2B), nearest in market value and net margin. Each of those counts equally, by how many of the companies considered sit between the two on it. Closest first: the order is likeness and nothing else.

6 of 10

Cash generation

Whether profit arrives as cash, and what is paid back to shareholders.

SEC filingComputed

Business First Bancshares, Inc: cash generation and what is paid out, each with its source
Figure	Value, source and document
Free cash flow yield Why n/m For a bank, an insurer, a broker or investment firm, or a mortgage trust, operating cash flow swings with the size of the loan, trading and funding book rather than with operating performance, so free cash flow is not the measure of the business. Look at earnings and capital adequacy.	n/m ComputedClose of Oct 15, 2026 · FY2025 10-K, filed Feb 26, 2026, 0001624322-26-000018
Free cash flow	92.0M USD ComputedFY2025 10-K, filed Feb 26, 2026, 0001624322-26-000018
Free cash flow margin Why n/m For a bank, an insurer, a broker or investment firm, or a mortgage trust, operating cash flow swings with the size of the loan, trading and funding book rather than with operating performance, so free cash flow is not the measure of the business. Look at earnings and capital adequacy.	n/m ComputedFY2025 10-K, filed Feb 26, 2026, 0001624322-26-000018
Dividend yield	1.9% ComputedClose of Oct 15, 2026 · FY2025 10-K, filed Feb 26, 2026, 0001624322-26-000018
Payout ratio	19.2% ComputedFY2025 10-K, filed Feb 26, 2026, 0001624322-26-000018

Free cash flow Net incomeProfit that arrives as cash stands level with net income; a gap year after year is worth reading about.

7 of 10

Filings

Every figure, the year it is for and the document it was read from.

SEC filingMarket data

The filed figures

Computed from the accounts this company filed with the SEC and, in a ratio with a price in it, the last close, dated on this page. Every filed figure below carries the fiscal year and the filing date its accounts were read from, and every blank carries the reason it is blank. Nothing here is a view on this company.

Business First Bancshares, Inc.: the eight ratios, with the fiscal year and filing date behind each.
Figure	Value	Year	As of
	11.08x	FY2025	Oct 15, 2026
FormulaShare price / earnings per share. Where the filing states no earnings per share this listing can be priced on, which is every 20-F and 40-F filer because theirs is stated per ordinary share, it is market capitalisation / net income: the same multiple, undiluted. As ofThe close on Oct 15, 2026, over the filed figures of FY2025: a price is in this figure, and it moved after the filing. Form10-KFiledFeb 26, 2026PeriodFY2025Accession0001624322-26-000018What we read from itIncome statementFY2025Open on SEC.gov, accession 0001624322-26-000018, leaves this page and opens in a new tab
	1.03x	FY2025	Oct 15, 2026
FormulaMarket capitalisation / shareholders equity As ofThe close on Oct 15, 2026, over the filed figures of FY2025: a price is in this figure, and it moved after the filing. Form10-KFiledFeb 26, 2026PeriodFY2025Accession0001624322-26-000018What we read from itBalance sheetFY2025Open on SEC.gov, accession 0001624322-26-000018, leaves this page and opens in a new tab
	n/m	FY2025	Oct 15, 2026
n/m Not meaningful for this company, such as a P/E on negative earnings or a bank's EV/EBIT.
Formula(Market capitalisation + total debt - cash) / operating income, or over the filing's own EBIT (income before tax + interest expense) where the filer tags no operating line, as Johnson & Johnson does not in any of its ten filed years. As ofThe close on Oct 15, 2026, over the filed figures of FY2025: a price is in this figure, and it moved after the filing. Form10-KFiledFeb 26, 2026PeriodFY2025Accession0001624322-26-000018What we read from itIncome statementFY2025Open on SEC.gov, accession 0001624322-26-000018, leaves this page and opens in a new tabForm10-KFiledFeb 26, 2026PeriodFY2025Accession0001624322-26-000018What we read from itBalance sheetFY2025Open on SEC.gov, accession 0001624322-26-000018, leaves this page and opens in a new tab
	n/m	FY2025	Oct 15, 2026
n/m Not meaningful for this company, such as a P/E on negative earnings or a bank's EV/EBIT.
FormulaFree cash flow per share / share price x 100 As ofThe close on Oct 15, 2026, over the filed figures of FY2025: a price is in this figure, and it moved after the filing. Form10-KFiledFeb 26, 2026PeriodFY2025Accession0001624322-26-000018What we read from itCash flow statementFY2025Open on SEC.gov, accession 0001624322-26-000018, leaves this page and opens in a new tab
	n/m	FY2025	Feb 26, 2026
n/m Not meaningful for this company, such as a P/E on negative earnings or a bank's EV/EBIT.
FormulaVendor trailing-twelve-month return on invested capital where one is published, which uses after-tax operating profit over total assets less current liabilities. Otherwise our own recompute: NOPAT / (shareholders equity + total debt - cash) x 100, where NOPAT is the filed operating profit after tax, or the filing's own EBIT after tax where the filer tags no operating line. As ofThe filing date of the statements below, for FY2025. Form10-KFiledFeb 26, 2026PeriodFY2025Accession0001624322-26-000018What we read from itIncome statementFY2025Open on SEC.gov, accession 0001624322-26-000018, leaves this page and opens in a new tabForm10-KFiledFeb 26, 2026PeriodFY2025Accession0001624322-26-000018What we read from itBalance sheetFY2025Open on SEC.gov, accession 0001624322-26-000018, leaves this page and opens in a new tab
	1.9%	FY2025	Oct 15, 2026
FormulaCommon dividends paid in the latest filed year / market capitalisation x 100. n/a where the filing cannot support it: a special or first-year payment, a total that mixes preferred dividends, or a cash-flow statement over 15 months old. As ofThe close on Oct 15, 2026, over the filed figures of FY2025: a price is in this figure, and it moved after the filing. Form10-KFiledFeb 26, 2026PeriodFY2025Accession0001624322-26-000018What we read from itCash flow statementFY2025Open on SEC.gov, accession 0001624322-26-000018, leaves this page and opens in a new tab
	n/m	FY2025	Feb 26, 2026
n/m Not meaningful for this company, such as a P/E on negative earnings or a bank's EV/EBIT.
FormulaTotal debt / shareholders equity As ofThe filing date of the statements below, for FY2025. Form10-KFiledFeb 26, 2026PeriodFY2025Accession0001624322-26-000018What we read from itBalance sheetFY2025Open on SEC.gov, accession 0001624322-26-000018, leaves this page and opens in a new tab
	n/m	FY2025	Feb 26, 2026
n/m Not meaningful for this company, such as a P/E on negative earnings or a bank's EV/EBIT.
FormulaCurrent assets / current liabilities As ofThe filing date of the statements below, for FY2025. Form10-KFiledFeb 26, 2026PeriodFY2025Accession0001624322-26-000018What we read from itBalance sheetFY2025Open on SEC.gov, accession 0001624322-26-000018, leaves this page and opens in a new tab
	1.98x	FY2025	Oct 15, 2026
FormulaMarket capitalisation / revenue As ofThe close on Oct 15, 2026, over the filed figures of FY2025: a price is in this figure, and it moved after the filing. Form10-KFiledFeb 26, 2026PeriodFY2025Accession0001624322-26-000018What we read from itIncome statementFY2025Open on SEC.gov, accession 0001624322-26-000018, leaves this page and opens in a new tab
	0.99	FY2025	Oct 15, 2026
FormulaPrice to earnings / the annual earnings growth rate, in percentage points As ofThe close on Oct 15, 2026, over the filed figures of FY2025: a price is in this figure, and it moved after the filing. Form10-KFiledFeb 26, 2026PeriodFY2025Accession0001624322-26-000018What we read from itIncome statementFY2025Open on SEC.gov, accession 0001624322-26-000018, leaves this page and opens in a new tab
	n/m	FY2025	Oct 15, 2026
n/m Not meaningful for this company, such as a P/E on negative earnings or a bank's EV/EBIT.
Formula1.2 x working capital/assets + 1.4 x retained earnings/assets + 3.3 x EBIT/assets + 0.6 x market value of equity/total liabilities + 1.0 x revenue/assets As ofThe close on Oct 15, 2026, over the filed figures of FY2025: a price is in this figure, and it moved after the filing. Form10-KFiledFeb 26, 2026PeriodFY2025Accession0001624322-26-000018What we read from itIncome statementFY2025Open on SEC.gov, accession 0001624322-26-000018, leaves this page and opens in a new tabForm10-KFiledFeb 26, 2026PeriodFY2025Accession0001624322-26-000018What we read from itBalance sheetFY2025Open on SEC.gov, accession 0001624322-26-000018, leaves this page and opens in a new tab
	n/m	FY2025	Feb 26, 2026
n/m Not meaningful for this company, such as a P/E on negative earnings or a bank's EV/EBIT.
FormulaAn eight-variable index of year-on-year changes in receivables, gross margin, asset quality, revenue, depreciation, overheads, leverage and accruals As ofThe filing date of the statements below, for FY2025. Form10-KFiledFeb 26, 2026PeriodFY2025Accession0001624322-26-000018What we read from itIncome statementFY2025Open on SEC.gov, accession 0001624322-26-000018, leaves this page and opens in a new tabForm10-KFiledFeb 26, 2026PeriodFY2025Accession0001624322-26-000018What we read from itBalance sheetFY2025Open on SEC.gov, accession 0001624322-26-000018, leaves this page and opens in a new tabForm10-KFiledFeb 26, 2026PeriodFY2025Accession0001624322-26-000018What we read from itCash flow statementFY2025Open on SEC.gov, accession 0001624322-26-000018, leaves this page and opens in a new tab
	n/m	FY2025	Feb 26, 2026
n/m Not meaningful for this company, such as a P/E on negative earnings or a bank's EV/EBIT.
FormulaOne point each for: positive return on assets, positive operating cash flow, rising return on assets, operating cash flow above net income, falling leverage, rising current ratio, no new shares issued, rising gross margin, rising asset turnover. As ofThe filing date of the statements below, for FY2025. Form10-KFiledFeb 26, 2026PeriodFY2025Accession0001624322-26-000018What we read from itIncome statementFY2025Open on SEC.gov, accession 0001624322-26-000018, leaves this page and opens in a new tabForm10-KFiledFeb 26, 2026PeriodFY2025Accession0001624322-26-000018What we read from itBalance sheetFY2025Open on SEC.gov, accession 0001624322-26-000018, leaves this page and opens in a new tabForm10-KFiledFeb 26, 2026PeriodFY2025Accession0001624322-26-000018What we read from itCash flow statementFY2025Open on SEC.gov, accession 0001624322-26-000018, leaves this page and opens in a new tab

The figures are computed from the accounts for fiscal 2025, the newest full year on file. 12 filed fiscal years on record, FY2013 to FY2025, from SEC EDGAR. Prices as of Oct 15, 2026. Ratios recomputed Oct 15, 2026. Two facts, because a recompute is not a fresh quote.

The year and the filing date name the statement each figure’s accounts are read from, and they stand even where the figure itself could not be computed: the line beneath a blank says what that statement did not carry. A figure’s name opens its formula and the filings behind it; a statement that names no SEC filing has no filing date, and reads n/a.

Ten years of filed figures, year by year

Ten years of filed figures

10 filed fiscal years, FY2016 to FY2025, read from the annual reports Business First Bancshares, Inc filed with the SEC. Each year names its filing. Amounts in USD, as filed.

Business First Bancshares, Inc: revenue, earnings, free cash flow and returns, by fiscal year, with the filing each year was read from
Year	Revenue	Operating income	Net income	EPS, diluted	Free cash flow	Operating margin	Return on equity	Filing
FY2025	465.0M	133.2M	87.9M	2.79	92.0M	n/a	9.8%	10-K, Feb 26, 20260001624322-26-000018
FY2024	414.8M	105.3M	65.1M	2.26	59.8M	n/a	8.1%	10-K, Mar 7, 20250001624322-25-000011
FY2023	353.3M	228.8M	71.0M	2.59	79.3M	n/a	11.0%	10-K, Mar 1, 20240001437749-24-006270
FY2022	236.1M	105.1M	54.3M	2.32	61.8M	n/a	9.3%	10-K, Mar 2, 20230001437749-23-005213
FY2021	170.4M	81.1M	52.1M	2.53	52.5M	n/a	12.0%	10-K, Mar 1, 20220001437749-22-004801
FY2020	149.8M	58.9M	30.0M	1.64	26.4M	n/a	7.3%	10-K, Mar 5, 20210001437749-21-005177
FY2019	103.5M	53.1M	23.8M	1.74	20.5M	n/a	8.3%	10-K, Mar 12, 20200001437749-20-004875
FY2018	76.2M	31.3M	14.1M	1.22	18.4M	n/a	5.4%	10-K, Mar 22, 20190001437749-19-005503
FY2017	51.6M	16.2M	4.8M	0.61	7.5M	n/a	2.7%	10-K, Mar 21, 20180001437749-18-005111
FY2016	43.4M	12.6M	5.1M	0.70	6.8M	n/a	4.5%	10-K, Mar 20, 20170001437749-17-004904

Revenue, compound annual growth FY2016 to FY2025: 30.1%
Earnings, compound annual growth FY2016 to FY2025: 37.2%
Earnings per share, compound annual growth FY2016 to FY2025: 16.6%
Free cash flow, compound annual growth FY2016 to FY2025: 33.7%

Every figure in this section is a line of a filed annual statement or a ratio of two of them. Nothing here is estimated or smoothed. Earnings per share filed before a share split are put on today's share count, and say so. Nothing here is a verdict on the company.

8 of 10

Risks and guardrails

The accounting screens, the published tests, and the lines you can set to be told.

ComputedCompany statement

Business First Bancshares, Inc: accounting screens and published tests, each with its source
Figure	Value, source and document
Beneish M-score Why n/m The Beneish M-Score is built on gross margin, receivables and asset quality indices estimated on non-financial firms. Those inputs are not defined here.	n/m ComputedFY2025 10-K, filed Feb 26, 2026, 0001624322-26-000018
Piotroski F-score Why n/m 4 of the nine Piotroski signals are undefined for a bank: signal 5 (falling long-term leverage), signal 6 (rising current ratio), signal 8 (rising gross margin), signal 9 (rising asset turnover). We do not publish a partial score under the full score's name.	n/m ComputedFY2025 10-K, filed Feb 26, 2026, 0001624322-26-000018
Named tests met	2 of 30 Computed
Beta	0.83 ComputedClose of Oct 15, 2026

The named tests

Of 30 tests value investors published: 2 met, 16 not met, 12 we could not complete. Counts, never a score: a single figure would have to decide that meeting one investor’s criteria and meeting another’s are worth the same.

Which tests, by name(all 30)

Meets: P/E times P/B (Benjamin Graham); Cheapest quarter on P/E (David Dreman)
Does not: Deep value; Large cap, low P/E; High F-score, low P/B (Joseph Piotroski); Low PEG, low debt (Peter Lynch); High returns and growth; High yield, low payout; Dividends and buybacks; Low beta, profitable; Near the 52-week low; High returns, low debt; High return on tangibles; Low P/S, rising earnings (James O'Shaughnessy); Book or below, low debt (Walter Schloss); Tangible book or below; Cheapest quarter on P/B (David Dreman); Low P/E, growth, yield (John Neff)
Not measured: Defensive investor (Benjamin Graham); Earnings yield and ROIC (Joel Greenblatt); Three forensic scores; Gross margin, turnover (Robert Novy-Marx); EV/EBITDA and coverage; ROIC at or above WACC; Z-score and coverage (Edward Altman); Two thirds of NCAV (Benjamin Graham); Owner earnings yield; Cash-covered dividend; Cash-flow yield and ROIC; Clean books, high ROIC. A test with a figure we could not read is incomplete, never met and never failed.

Figures we could not read(17)

Current Ratio: Banks and insurers present an unclassified balance sheet under Regulation S-X, with no split between current and non-current. A current ratio needs that split, so there is none to show.
Debt to Equity: A bank's deposits are its raw material, not borrowings. Debt to equity computed over a deposit-funded balance sheet says nothing about solvency. Use the equity to assets ratio instead.
Piotroski F-Score: 4 of the nine Piotroski signals are undefined for a bank: signal 5 (falling long-term leverage), signal 6 (rising current ratio), signal 8 (rising gross margin), signal 9 (rising asset turnover). We do not publish a partial score under the full score's name.
EV/EBIT: Enterprise value adds debt and subtracts cash. For a financial company both are the business itself, so the resulting multiple has no economic meaning.
Return on Invested Capital: Invested capital is equity plus debt less cash. A financial company's debt and cash are operating positions, so returns measured against that base are not comparable to an operating business.
Altman Z-Score: Altman's Z-Score was estimated on manufacturers and explicitly excludes financial firms. A financial company scores in the distress zone by construction, so the number would be wrong rather than alarming. Not applicable to financials.
Beneish M-Score: The Beneish M-Score is built on gross margin, receivables and asset quality indices estimated on non-financial firms. Those inputs are not defined here.
Gross Margin: This filer reports no gross profit line, so there is no gross margin to compute. Banks, insurers and REITs do not present cost of revenue.
Asset Turnover: A lender's assets are loans and securities that earn interest, not plant used to produce sales. Revenue over assets is not a turnover measure here.
EV/EBITDA: Enterprise value adds debt and subtracts cash. For a financial company both are the business itself, so the resulting multiple has no economic meaning.
Interest Coverage: Interest is what a lender pays for its inventory of money, not a financing charge sitting below the operating line. Interest coverage is not defined for lenders.
Free Cash Flow Yield: For a bank, an insurer, a broker or investment firm, or a mortgage trust, operating cash flow swings with the size of the loan, trading and funding book rather than with operating performance, so free cash flow is not the measure of the business. Look at earnings and capital adequacy.
ROIC-WACC Spread: Invested capital is equity plus debt less cash. A financial company's debt and cash are operating positions, so returns measured against that base are not comparable to an operating business.
Price To Ncav: Net current asset value needs current assets, which an unclassified balance sheet does not report.
Owner Earnings Yield: For a bank, an insurer, a broker or investment firm, or a mortgage trust, operating cash flow swings with the size of the loan, trading and funding book rather than with operating performance, so free cash flow is not the measure of the business. Look at earnings and capital adequacy.
Capex To Ocf: For a bank, an insurer, a broker or investment firm, or a mortgage trust, operating cash flow swings with the size of the loan, trading and funding book rather than with operating performance, so free cash flow is not the measure of the business. Look at earnings and capital adequacy.
Dividend Coverage Ratio: For a bank, an insurer, a broker or investment firm, or a mortgage trust, operating cash flow swings with the size of the loan, trading and funding book rather than with operating performance, so free cash flow is not the measure of the business. Look at earnings and capital adequacy.

9 of 10

Declared positions

Whether anybody here owns this company.

Positions declared by the founder: no holding in any company shown here, as of October 3, 2026.

10 of 10

Next step

What to do with what you have read.

Value it in the DCF workbench

A thesis is your reason for owning it, in your words, with the figures that must stay true. Checking those figures every night against the newest filed accounts, and telling you once when one breaks, is what the subscription adds.

What this cannot tell you

17 figures could not be read on this company, among them Current Ratio, Debt to Equity, Piotroski F-Score. Each blank in the table above names the rest, with its reason. 12 named tests come back incomplete because of them, which is neither met nor missed.

And the one that is true of all of it: This is what the numbers say today. It cannot tell you the day one of them stops being true. Nothing here can, because the reasons are not written down.

Running this once is arithmetic on public documents and you are welcome to it. Writing down why you own each company, in your own words and with the numbers that have to stay true for it to hold, and then having those numbers re-checked every night against the newest filed accounts, and against the latest close where a rule watches a price, is Professional, the plan a new account starts on for 30 days, one trial per person. It writes to you the day one breaks, and stays quiet when nothing does. The check runs every night at 23:30 UTC. A filing is picked up the night after it is published.

Monitor my portfolio How this is computed

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Analyze your own portfolio

ValueScreener · valuescreener.ai · Computed from accounts filed with the SEC by this company, read from EDGAR, and from dated closing prices. On this page a filed figure opens into its formula, its inputs and the statement, fiscal year and filing date it was read from, and a price into the day of its close. A figure that cannot show that trail says so.

A computation on accounts filed with the SEC, not a recommendation and not advice. Past filings do not indicate future results. Risk disclaimer.

Four questions, at a glance

Quality

Financial strength

Valuation

Cash generation

Revenue and net income, as filed

The reading, in brief

Financial health

Valuation

Companies like Business First Bancshares, Inc

The filed figures

Ten years of filed figures

The named tests

What this cannot tell you

Margin Notes