All three tenses have at least two readings, so the archetype blend applies as printed.
All nine metrics read as filed from the record.
What did they actually do?
Has it survived what it has been through?
2 warning events since 2017; the latest 2022-06-01.
From the record
Business First Bancshares, Inc.'s filings since 2017 show 2 warning events: an auditor change (8-K item 4.01, 2 times, the latest 2022-06-01) (its current reports).
A production reading, recomputed from the filings on every data build, read from EDGAR Nov 13, 2026.
What has it actually done, year after year?
+30.1% a year over 10 filed years; profitable in 10 of 10.
From the record
Business First Bancshares, Inc.'s 10 filed years say what it did: revenue went from $43 million in fiscal 2016 to $465 million in fiscal 2025, up 30.1% a year; it rose in 9 of 9 years; it never fell from a peak; net income was positive in 10 of 10 of those years (its annual reports).
What it rests on
A production reading, recomputed from the filings on every data build, read from EDGAR Nov 13, 2026.
How has it treated the people who own it?
Share count grew 9.0% a year. 20% of cash flow returned. Insiders: 30 sales, 3 purchases.
From the record
Over the 3 fiscal years to 2025-12-31, Business First Bancshares, Inc.'s diluted share count grew about 9.0% a year, and dividends and buybacks returned about 20% of its operating cash flow over 3 years (its filed statements). Its officers and directors filed 30 sales and 3 purchases of their own stock on the open market in the year to 2026-11-02, buying about $92 thousand (their Form 4 filings).
What it rests on
A production reading, recomputed from the filings on every data build, read from EDGAR Nov 13, 2026.
What are they doing right now?
Is it financially healthy right now?
ROE 10%: 10¢ of profit per shareholder dollar. Leverage 89%: owes 89¢ per asset dollar.
From the record
Return on equity: in the fiscal year ended 2025-12-31, Business First Bancshares, Inc. earned about 10 cents of profit for every dollar of shareholders' money. Leverage: it owed about 89 cents per dollar of assets, and net share issuance: its share count grew 11.7% over the year (the filed statements).
What it rests on
A production reading, recomputed from the filings on every data build, read from EDGAR Nov 13, 2026.
How strong is its position in its industry?
top 38% of 155 in its family; net margin 18.9%.
From the record
Business First Bancshares, Inc.'s standing among 155 graded names in its industry family: revenue of $465 million in fiscal 2025 ranks in the top 40% by size; a net margin of 18.9% ranks in the bottom 42%; revenue growth of 25.3% a year over the last 3 filed years ranks in the top 16% (its annual reports).
What it rests on
A production reading, recomputed from the filings on every data build, read from EDGAR Nov 13, 2026.
What are the people in charge doing?
bottom 43% of 150 in its family for leadership; chief executive since 2018.
From the record
Business First Bancshares, Inc.'s leadership, from its insiders' filings and its current reports: the chief executive on the record is Melville, David R. III (President and CEO, as filed), filing under that title since 2018-04-09, 8.6 years (top 40% of its family); the 25 officers and directors filing in the last fifteen months have been on the record a median of 6.5 years (bottom 39%); 11 officer or director changes were reported on Form 8-K since 2023-11-13, against the 25 people in charge now (bottom 29%; fewer changes for each person reads higher) (the Form 4 record, its Form 8-K reports). Years count from a person's first filing in the SEC's data sets, which begin in 2006, so each is a floor.
What it rests on
A production reading, recomputed from the filings on every data build, read from EDGAR Nov 13, 2026.
What are they set up to do next?
How much room does it have to grow?
bottom 50% of 142 in its family for room to expand.
From the record
Business First Bancshares, Inc.'s room to grow, from the newest filed statements (fiscal 2025): cash of $411 million against no long-term debt tagged leaves 5% of its assets as net cash, top 34% of its family; cash from operations less capital spending is 19.8% of revenue (bottom 33%) (its annual report).
What it rests on
A production reading, recomputed from the filings on every data build, read from EDGAR Nov 13, 2026.
What could actually drive growth from here?
bottom 30% of 152 in its family for growth drivers.
From the record
Business First Bancshares, Inc.'s growth drivers, from the filed years to fiscal 2025: revenue grew 25.3% a year over the last three filed years against 30.1% over all 10, slowing (bottom 8% of its family); the newest year grew 12.1% (top 19%); capital spending grew -79.6% a year (bottom 1%) (its annual reports). Business First Bancshares, Inc. tags no split of its revenue by line in the annual report on file, so growth by line cannot be read here; research and capital spending are on the trend.
What it rests on
A production reading, recomputed from the filings on every data build, read from EDGAR Nov 13, 2026.
Did its newest year beat what its own record pointed to?
top 30% of 150 in its family for expectations against reality.
From the record
Business First Bancshares, Inc.'s newest year against its own record: revenue of $465 million in fiscal 2025 came in 15.4% below the $550 million its prior three years' pace pointed to (top 49% of its family); net income of $88 million against a prior three-year average of $63 million (top 15%); a net margin of 18.9% against 19.6% before (top 26%) (its annual reports).
What it rests on
A production reading, recomputed from the filings on every data build, read from EDGAR Nov 13, 2026.
The grade is the company against its own industry, from its filings. It is not a view on the share price. How the grade is made