Form 8-K

8-K — Business First Bancshares, Inc.

Accession: 0001437749-26-018540

Filed: 2026-05-27

Period: 2026-05-21

CIK: 0001624322

SIC: 6022 (STATE COMMERCIAL BANKS)

Item: Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

Documents

8-K — bfbi20260527_8k.htm (Primary)

XML — IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT (R1.htm)

8-K — FORM 8-K

8-K (Primary)

Filename: bfbi20260527_8k.htm · Sequence: 1

bfbi20260527_8k.htm

false

0001624322

2026-05-21

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of report (Date of earliest event reported): May 21, 2026

BUSINESS FIRST BANCSHARES, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Louisiana

001-38447

20-5340628

(State of incorporation)

(Commission File Number)

(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

500 Laurel Street, Suite 101

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

70801

(Address of principal executive offices)

(Zip code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (225) 248-7600

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

☐ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

☐ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act:

Title of each class

Trading Symbol(s)

Name of each exchange on which registered

Common Stock, par value $1.00 per share

BFST

NASDAQ Global Select Market

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

5.07

Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

On May 21, 2026, Business First Bancshares, Inc. (“Business First”) held its annual meeting of shareholders (the “Annual Meeting”). At the Annual Meeting, the shareholders of Business First: (i) elected sixteen (16) directors; (ii) approved on a non-binding, advisory basis the compensation paid to Business First’s named executive officers; and (iii) ratified the appointment of Forvis Mazars, LLP as Business First’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2026. The proposals presented at the Annual Meeting are described in more detail in Business First’s Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 8, 2026.

Holders of 23,741,697 shares of Business First common stock, or approximately 72.62% of Business First’s issued and outstanding shares of common stock that were entitled to vote, were present in person, virtually, or represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting.

Below are the final voting results on the proposals presented to Business First’s shareholders at the Annual Meeting.

Proposal 1: Election of Directors

The shareholders elected the individuals nominated by the Board of Directors of Business First to serve as directors until the 2027 annual meeting of shareholders or until their successors are duly elected and qualified:

For

Against

Abstain

Broker Non-Vote

George W. Cummings III

12,073,961

6,167,145

39,210

5,461,381

Ricky D. Day

17,978,734

300,814

768

5,461,381

John P. Ducrest

18,009,045

269,601

1,670

5,461,381

Mark P. Folse

11,841,843

6,399,363

39,110

5,461,381

William G. Hall

18,035,139

243,026

2,151

5,461,381

J. Vernon Johnson

18,024,598

254,068

1,650

5,461,381

Rolfe H. McCollister, Jr.

17,463,579

815,368

1,369

5,461,381

David R. Melville, III

17,934,816

344,151

1,349

5,461,381

Patrick E. Mockler

17,928,153

350,814

1,349

5,461,381

David A. Montgomery, Jr.

17,736,466

542,200

1,650

5,461,381

Arthur J. Price

18,000,864

277,802

1,650

5,461,381

Aimee Quirk

18,032,667

246,688

961

5,461,381

Alejandro Sanchez

17,975,270

299,877

5,169

5,461,381

Zeenat Sidi

18,024,890

254,164

1,262

5,461,381

Keith A. Tillage

17,950,257

324,502

5,557

5,461,381

Steven G. White

17,360,104

918,462

1,750

5,461,381

Proposal 2: Non-Binding, Advisory Vote Regarding the Compensation of Business First’s Named Executive Officers

The shareholders approved, on a non-binding, advisory basis, the compensation of Business First’s named executive officers. The table below sets forth the voting results for Proposal 2:

For

Against

Abstain

Broker Non-Vote

17,895,672

230,620

154,024

5,461,381

Proposal 3: Ratification of Forvis Mazars, LLP as Business First’s Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The shareholders ratified the Audit Committee’s appointment of Forvis Mazars, LLP as Business First’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2026. The table below sets forth the voting results for Proposal 3:

For

Against

Abstain

23,609,260

123,613

8,824

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

Dated: May 27, 2026

BUSINESS FIRST BANCSHARES, INC.

By:

/s/ David R. Melville III

David R. Melville III

President and Chief Executive Officer

XML — IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT

XML

Filename: R1.htm · Sequence: 7

v3.26.1

Document And Entity Information

May 21, 2026

Document Information [Line Items]

Entity, Registrant Name

BUSINESS FIRST BANCSHARES, INC.

Document, Type

8-K

Document, Period End Date

May 21, 2026

Entity, Incorporation, State or Country Code

Entity, File Number

001-38447

Entity, Tax Identification Number

20-5340628

Entity, Address, Address Line One

500 Laurel Street, Suite 101

Entity, Address, City or Town

Baton Rouge

Entity, Address, State or Province

Entity, Address, Postal Zip Code

70801

City Area Code

225

Local Phone Number

248-7600

Written Communications

false

Soliciting Material

false

Pre-commencement Tender Offer

false

Pre-commencement Issuer Tender Offer

false

Title of 12(b) Security

Common Stock, par value $1.00 per share

Trading Symbol

BFST

Security Exchange Name

NASDAQ

Entity, Emerging Growth Company

false

Amendment Flag

false

Entity, Central Index Key

0001624322

- Definition

Boolean flag that is true when the XBRL content amends previously-filed or accepted submission.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:

dei_AmendmentFlag

Namespace Prefix:

dei_

Data Type:

xbrli:booleanItemType

Balance Type:

Period Type:

duration

- Definition

Area code of city

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:

dei_CityAreaCode

Namespace Prefix:

dei_

Data Type:

xbrli:normalizedStringItemType

Balance Type:

Period Type:

duration

- Definition

Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:

dei_DocumentInformationLineItems

Namespace Prefix:

dei_

Data Type:

xbrli:stringItemType

Balance Type:

Period Type:

duration

- Definition

For the EDGAR submission types of Form 8-K: the date of the report, the date of the earliest event reported; for the EDGAR submission types of Form N-1A: the filing date; for all other submission types: the end of the reporting or transition period. The format of the date is YYYY-MM-DD.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:

dei_DocumentPeriodEndDate

Namespace Prefix:

dei_

Data Type:

xbrli:dateItemType

Balance Type:

Period Type:

duration

- Definition

The type of document being provided (such as 10-K, 10-Q, 485BPOS, etc). The document type is limited to the same value as the supporting SEC submission type, or the word 'Other'.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:

dei_DocumentType

Namespace Prefix:

dei_

Data Type:

dei:submissionTypeItemType

Balance Type:

Period Type:

duration

- Definition

Address Line 1 such as Attn, Building Name, Street Name

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:

dei_EntityAddressAddressLine1

Namespace Prefix:

dei_

Data Type:

xbrli:normalizedStringItemType

Balance Type:

Period Type:

duration

- Definition

Name of the City or Town

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:

dei_EntityAddressCityOrTown

Namespace Prefix:

dei_

Data Type:

xbrli:normalizedStringItemType

Balance Type:

Period Type:

duration

- Definition

Code for the postal or zip code

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:

dei_EntityAddressPostalZipCode

Namespace Prefix:

dei_

Data Type:

xbrli:normalizedStringItemType

Balance Type:

Period Type:

duration

- Definition

Name of the state or province.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:

dei_EntityAddressStateOrProvince

Namespace Prefix:

dei_

Data Type:

dei:stateOrProvinceItemType

Balance Type:

Period Type:

duration

- Definition

A unique 10-digit SEC-issued value to identify entities that have filed disclosures with the SEC. It is commonly abbreviated as CIK.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher SEC

-Name Exchange Act

-Number 240

-Section 12

-Subsection b-2

+ Details

Name:

dei_EntityCentralIndexKey

Namespace Prefix:

dei_

Data Type:

dei:centralIndexKeyItemType

Balance Type:

Period Type:

duration

- Definition

Indicate if registrant meets the emerging growth company criteria.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher SEC

-Name Exchange Act

-Number 240

-Section 12

-Subsection b-2

+ Details

Name:

dei_EntityEmergingGrowthCompany

Namespace Prefix:

dei_

Data Type:

xbrli:booleanItemType

Balance Type:

Period Type:

duration

- Definition

Commission file number. The field allows up to 17 characters. The prefix may contain 1-3 digits, the sequence number may contain 1-8 digits, the optional suffix may contain 1-4 characters, and the fields are separated with a hyphen.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:

dei_EntityFileNumber

Namespace Prefix:

dei_

Data Type:

dei:fileNumberItemType

Balance Type:

Period Type:

duration

- Definition

Two-character EDGAR code representing the state or country of incorporation.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:

dei_EntityIncorporationStateCountryCode

Namespace Prefix:

dei_

Data Type:

dei:edgarStateCountryItemType

Balance Type:

Period Type:

duration

- Definition

The exact name of the entity filing the report as specified in its charter, which is required by forms filed with the SEC.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher SEC

-Name Exchange Act

-Number 240

-Section 12

-Subsection b-2

+ Details

Name:

dei_EntityRegistrantName

Namespace Prefix:

dei_

Data Type:

xbrli:normalizedStringItemType

Balance Type:

Period Type:

duration

- Definition

The Tax Identification Number (TIN), also known as an Employer Identification Number (EIN), is a unique 9-digit value assigned by the IRS.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher SEC

-Name Exchange Act

-Number 240

-Section 12

-Subsection b-2

+ Details

Name:

dei_EntityTaxIdentificationNumber

Namespace Prefix:

dei_

Data Type:

dei:employerIdItemType

Balance Type:

Period Type:

duration

- Definition

Local phone number for entity.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:

dei_LocalPhoneNumber

Namespace Prefix:

dei_

Data Type:

xbrli:normalizedStringItemType

Balance Type:

Period Type:

duration

- Definition

Boolean flag that is true when the Form 8-K filing is intended to satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant as pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher SEC

-Name Exchange Act

-Number 240

-Section 13e

-Subsection 4c

+ Details

Name:

dei_PreCommencementIssuerTenderOffer

Namespace Prefix:

dei_

Data Type:

xbrli:booleanItemType

Balance Type:

Period Type:

duration

- Definition

Boolean flag that is true when the Form 8-K filing is intended to satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant as pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher SEC

-Name Exchange Act

-Number 240

-Section 14d

-Subsection 2b

+ Details

Name:

dei_PreCommencementTenderOffer

Namespace Prefix:

dei_

Data Type:

xbrli:booleanItemType

Balance Type:

Period Type:

duration

- Definition

Title of a 12(b) registered security.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher SEC

-Name Exchange Act

-Number 240

-Section 12

-Subsection b

+ Details

Name:

dei_Security12bTitle

Namespace Prefix:

dei_

Data Type:

dei:securityTitleItemType

Balance Type:

Period Type:

duration

- Definition

Name of the Exchange on which a security is registered.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher SEC

-Name Exchange Act

-Number 240

-Section 12

-Subsection d1-1

+ Details

Name:

dei_SecurityExchangeName

Namespace Prefix:

dei_

Data Type:

dei:edgarExchangeCodeItemType

Balance Type:

Period Type:

duration

- Definition

Boolean flag that is true when the Form 8-K filing is intended to satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant as soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher SEC

-Name Exchange Act

-Number 240

-Section 14a

-Subsection 12

+ Details

Name:

dei_SolicitingMaterial

Namespace Prefix:

dei_

Data Type:

xbrli:booleanItemType

Balance Type:

Period Type:

duration

- Definition

Trading symbol of an instrument as listed on an exchange.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:

dei_TradingSymbol

Namespace Prefix:

dei_

Data Type:

dei:tradingSymbolItemType

Balance Type:

Period Type:

duration

- Definition

Boolean flag that is true when the Form 8-K filing is intended to satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant as written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher SEC

-Name Securities Act

-Number 230

-Section 425

+ Details

Name:

dei_WrittenCommunications

Namespace Prefix:

dei_

Data Type:

xbrli:booleanItemType

Balance Type:

Period Type:

duration