Business First Bancshares, Inc. (BFST) company profile
Close on Nov 13, 2026Market cap $1.05BP/E 11.4Yield 1.77%
About Business First Bancshares
State Commercial Banks, SIC 6022
Business First Bancshares, Inc. operates as a financial holding company and the parent entity of b1BANK. Through this commercial banking subsidiary, the company delivers banking and financial services designed primarily for small to mid-sized businesses, their owners, and employees, as well as individual consumers and high-net-worth clients. Its primary offerings comprise commercial, industrial, real estate, and consumer lending, treasury and cash management, and various deposit accounts such as checking, savings, and certificates of deposit. Additional services include wealth management, fiduciary planning, small business administration lending assistance, and merchant solutions.
The institution operates across Louisiana and Texas, with locations situated throughout Louisiana and within the Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan areas. Its physical distribution network consists of banking centers and loan production offices, alongside an investment advisory subsidiary located in Mississippi. The organization employs over eight hundred individuals across its branch network and remote locations. Business First Bancshares maintains its corporate headquarters in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Summary of the business section of Business First Bancshares's latest annual report, written by StockData.
Company profile
Company
- Legal name
- Business First Bancshares, Inc.
- Founded
- 2006
- Headquarters
- Baton Rouge, LA
- Address
- 500 Laurel Street, Suite 101 70801
- Phone
- (225) 248-7600
- Website
- b1bank.com
- Employees
- 842, Dec 31, 2025
- Industry
- State Commercial Banks
- Incorporated in
- Louisiana
- Fiscal year ends
- December 31
- Auditor
- Forvis Mazars, LLP, Birmingham, AL
Stock & identifiers
- Ticker
- BFST
- Former tickers
- BFBI until Mar 21, 2018
- Exchange
- Nasdaq
- IPO date
- Apr 23, 2018
- Shares outstanding
- 33M, Jul 24, 2026
- Public float
- $697.90M, Jun 30, 2025
- Filer category
- Accelerated filer
- SEC CIK
- 1624322
- CUSIP
- 12326C105
- ISIN
- US12326C1053
- FIGI
- BBG000TGZHS6
- Share class FIGI
- BBG001T056Q8
- LEI
- 549300ILTC50KHDX4A08
- EIN
- 20-5340628
Executives and directors
Officers and directors who filed ownership reports (Forms 3, 4, 5) in the last two years
| Name | Position | Shares owned |
|---|---|---|
| David R. Melville Iii | President and CEO, Director | 208,902 |
| Donald Chad Carter | EVP, Correspondent Banking | 12,642 |
| Saundra Strong | EVP & General Counsel | 4,878 |
| Keith Mansfield | EVP&COO of b1Bank | 77,139 |
| Heather G. Roemer | EVP, CAO | 35,111 |
| Philip Jordan | EVP&CBO of b1Bank | 87,308 |
| Greg Robertson | EVP and CFO | 69,532 |
| Warren McDonald | EVP & Chief Credit Officer | 14,195 |
| Kathryn Manning | EVP & Chief Risk Officer | 15,791 |
| Norman Jerome Vascocu Jr | President of b1Bank | 21,595 |
| George W. Cummings III | Director | 169,283 |
| William G. Hall | Director | 24,540 |
| Joseph Vernon Johnson | Director | 281,769 |
| Rick D. Day | Director | 269,901 |
| Mark P. Folse | Director | 54,302 |
| Keith Alexis Tillage | Director | 6,409 |
| John P. Ducrest | Director | 20,768 |
| Aimee M. Quirk | Director | 2,533 |
| Zeenat Sidi | Director | 1,674 |
| Steven Gerard White | Director | 44,679 |
| Patrick E. Mockler | Director | 64,047 |
| David A. Montgomery Jr. | Director | 14,268 |
| Rolfe H. McCollister Jr. | Director | 99,096 |
| Alejandro M. Sanchez | Director | 1,016 |
| Arthur Price | Director | 22,680 |
CEO pay and shareholder return
Pay versus performance table from the proxy statement
| Fiscal year | CEO total pay | CEO pay actually paid | Other executives (avg) | Value of $100 invested | Peer group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $2.58M | $2.60M | $1.13M | $144 | $131 |
| FY2024 | $3.12M | $3.09M | $1.37M | $138 | $127 |
| FY2023 | $2.40M | $2.42M | $1.01M | $129 | $116 |
| FY2022 | $2.52M | $2.03M | $924.15K | $113 | $121 |
| FY2021 | $2.03M | $2.18M | $898.88K | $142 | $133 |
| FY2020 | $1.74M | $1.32M | $753.83K | $84 | $88 |
“Actually paid” adjusts reported pay for changes in the value of equity awards. Shareholder return assumes $100 invested at the start of the measurement period, as disclosed by the company.
Executive compensation, fiscal 2025
Summary compensation table from the latest proxy statement
| Executive | Salary | Bonus | Stock awards | Incentive pay | Other | Total | vs. prior year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David R. Melville, III Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer | $801.50K | – | $864.51K | $666.58K | $250.18K | $2.58M | -17% |
| Gregory Robertson Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer | $434.00K | – | $309.76K | $219.60K | $83.70K | $1.05M | -18% |
| Philip Jordan Executive Vice President and Chief Banking Officer | $432.50K | – | $309.76K | $200.51K | $95.99K | $1.04M | -19% |
| Keith Mansfield Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer | $434.00K | – | $309.76K | $219.60K | $65.27K | $1.03M | -18% |
| Norman "Jerry" Vascocu President of the Bank | $489.50K | $50.00K | $477.00K | $289.38K | $153.37K | $1.41M | -16% |
Stock and option awards are grant-date fair values, not realized pay. “Other” includes pension value changes and all other compensation. Source proxy statement.
Employees
Headcount reported in annual reports
“As of December 31, 2025, we proudly employ 821 full-time and 21 part-time employees (for a total of 842 employees).”
Corporate history
Events identified from SEC filings
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