10-K/A

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K/A

☒	ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022

--12-31FY2022

or

☐	TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from to

Commission file number: 001-38447

BUSINESS FIRST BANCSHARES, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Louisiana	20-5340628
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)	(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number)
500 Laurel Street, Suite 101<br><br> <br>Baton Rouge , Louisiana	70801
(Address of principal executive offices)	(Zip code)
(225) 248-7600<br><br> <br>(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered under 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

Securities registered under Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.	Yes  ☐               No ☒
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.	Yes  ☐               No ☒
Note – Checking the box above will not relieve any registrant required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act from their obligations under those Sections.<br><br> <br><br><br> <br>Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.	Yes ☒                 No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Date File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).	Yes ☒                 No ☐

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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer	☐	Accelerated filer	☒
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Non-accelerated filer	☐	Smaller reporting company	☐
		Emerging growth company	☐
If an emerging growth company, indicate by a 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.	☐
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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.	☒
If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements.	☐
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b).	☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).	Yes ☐                 No ☒

The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates computed by reference to the price at which the common equity was last sold, or the average bid and asked price of such common equity, as of the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, was approximately $449.8 million.

Note.—If a determination as to whether a particular person or entity is an affiliate cannot be made without involving unreasonable effort and expense, the aggregate market value of the common stock held by non-affiliates may be calculated on the basis of assumptions reasonable under the circumstances, provided that the assumptions are set forth in this Form.

As of February 22, 2023, there were 25,110,313 outstanding shares of the registrant’s common stock, $1.00 par value per share.

Document Incorporated By Reference:

Portions of the registrant’s Definitive Proxy Statement relating to the 2023 Annual Meeting of Shareholders are incorporated by reference in Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K to the extent stated herein. Such Definitive Proxy Statement, or an Amended Annual Report on Form 10-K/A containing such Part III information, will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after the end of the registrant’s fiscal year ended December 31, 2022.

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EXPLANATORY NOTE

This Amendment No. 1 to the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Business First Bancshares, Inc. (the “Company”) for the year ended December 31, 2022 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 2, 2023 (the “Original Form 10-K”), is being filed for the sole purpose of including an amendment to the 2017 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2017 Equity Incentive Plan”) as an exhibit, which was inadvertently omitted from the Original Form 10-K.

Except as otherwise expressly noted herein, this Amendment No. 1 does not modify or update in any way the financial position, results of operations, cash flows or other disclosures in, or exhibits to, the Original Form 10-K, nor does it reflect events occurring after the filing of the Original Form 10-K. Accordingly, this Amendment No. 1 should be read in conjunction with the Original Form 10-K.

PART IV

ITEM 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.

(a)	List of documents filed as part of this Report
(1)	Financial Statements
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The following financial statements are included in Item 8 of the Original Form 10-K:

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm FORVIS, LLP (formerly Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP) PCAOB Firm ID No. 686 Fort Worth, TX

Consolidated Balance Sheets

Consolidated Statements of Income

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

(2)	Financial Statement Schedules

Financial statement schedules are omitted either because they are not required or are not applicable, or because the required information is shown in the financial statements or notes thereto.

(3)	Exhibits
Number	Description
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2.1	Agreement and Plan of Reorganization, dated January 22, 2020, by and between Business First Bancshares, Inc., and Pedestal Bancshares, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed by Business First Bancshares, Inc. on January 24, 2020).
2.2	Agreement and Plan of Reorganization, dated October 20, 2021, by and between Business First Bancshares, Inc., and Texas Citizens Bancorp, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed by Business First Bancshares, Inc. on October 21, 2021).
3.1	Restated Articles of Incorporation of Business First Bancshares, Inc., adopted October 27, 2022 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2022, filed by Business First Bancshares, Inc. on November 3, 2022).
3.2	Amended and Restated Bylaws of Business First Bancshares, Inc., adopted April 23, 2020 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed by Business First Bancshares, Inc. on April 28, 2020).
4.1	Specimen Common Stock Certificate (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Registration Statement on Form S-4 filed by Business First Bancshares, Inc. on November 12, 2014).

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4.2	Form of Series A Preferred Stock (incorporated by reference to Exhibit A to Exhibit 10.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed by Business First Bancshares, Inc. on Setpember 1, 2022).
4.3	Description of Securities Registered under Section 12 of the Exchange Act (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.3 included in the Original Form 10-K).  Instruments defining the rights of the long-term debt securities of Business First Bancshares, Inc. and its subsidiaries are omitted pursuant to section (b)(4)(iii)(A) of Item 601 of Regulation S-K.  Business First Bancshares, Inc. hereby agrees to furnish copies of these instruments to the SEC upon request.
10.1 +	Amended and Restated Executive Employment Agreement by and between Business First Bank and David R. Melville, III, dated November 6, 2019 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2019, filed by Business First Bancshares, Inc. on November 7, 2019).
10.3 +	Change in Control Agreement, dated November 6, 2019, between Business First Bank and Gregory Robertson (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 of the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2019, filed by Business First Bancshares, Inc. on November 7, 2019).
10.4 +	Change in Control Agreement, dated November 6, 2019, between Business First Bank and Philip Jordan  (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 of the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2019, filed by Business First Bancshares, Inc. on November 7, 2019).
10.7 +	Business First Bancshares 2006 Stock Option Plan (“2006 Stock Option Plan”) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to the Registration Statement on Form S-4 filed by Business First Bancshares, Inc. on November 12, 2014).
10.8 +	Form of Incentive Stock Option Award Agreement under 2006 Stock Option Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.6 to the Registration Statement on Form S-4 filed by Business First Bancshares, Inc. on November 12, 2014).
10.9 +	Form of Incentive Stock Option Award Agreement (As Amended), under 2006 Stock Option Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.7 to the Registration Statement on Form S-4 filed by Business First Bancshares, Inc. on November 12, 2014).
10.10 +	Form of Warrant Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.8 to the Registration Statement on Form S-4 filed by Business First Bancshares, Inc. on November 12, 2014).
10.11 +	Amendment No. 1 to the 2006 Stock Option Plan, dated December 17, 2007 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.9 to Amendment No. 2 to Form S-4 Registration Statement filed by Business First Bancshares, Inc. on February 5, 2015).
10.12 +	Business First, Amendment No. 2 to Warrant Agreement, dated February 1, 2016 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.10 included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, dated as of December 31, 2015 and filed March 21, 2016).
10.13 +	Business First Bancshares, Inc., 2017 Equity Incentive Plan (as amended) (incorporated by reference to Appendix A included in the Definitive Additional Materials to the Definitive Proxy Statement on Form DEF 14A filed by Business First Bancshares, Inc., dated as of April 28, 2022, and filed May 3, 2022).
10.14 +	Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan, adopted as of August 1, 2009, by Business First Bank (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed by Business First Bancshares, Inc. on January 13, 2021).
10.15 +	Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan Participation Agreement, dated as of January 7, 2021, between b1BANK and Gregory Robertson (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed by Business First Bancshares, Inc. on January 13, 2021).
10.16 +	Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan Participation Agreement, dated as of October 20, 2009, between b1BANK and David R. Melville, III (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.16 to the Annual Report on Form 10-K filed by Business First Bancshares, Inc. on March 5, 2021).

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10.17 +	Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan Participation Agreement, dated as of October 20, 2009, between b1BANK and Philip Jordan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.17 to the Annual Report on Form 10-K filed by Business First Bancshares, Inc. on March 5, 2021).
10.18	Form of Securities Purchase Agreement by and among Business First Bancshares, Inc. and the several purchasers of Series A Preferred Stock named therein (incorporated by reference to Exhibit A to Exhibit 10.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed by Business First Bancshares, Inc., on September 1, 2022).
10.19 +	Change in Control Agreement, dated October 29, 2019, between Business First Bank and Keith Mansfield (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2022, filed by Business First Bancshares, Inc. on August 4, 2022).
10.20 +	Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan Participation Agreement, dated as of January 7, 2021, between b1BANK and Keith Mansfield (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 of the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2022, filed by Business First Bancshares, Inc. on August 4, 2022).
21.1	List of subsidiaries of Business First Bancshares, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 21.1 included in the Original Form 10-K).
23.1	Consent of FORVIS, LLP (formerly Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 23.1 included in the Original Form 10-K).
24.1	Power of Attorney (contained on the signature page to the Original Form 10-K).
31.1	Certification of Principal Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002*
31.2	Certification of Principal Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002*
32.1	Certifications of Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 32.1 included in the Original Form 10-K).
101.INS	Inline XBRL Instance Document (included in the Original Form 10-K).
101.SCH	Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document (included in the Original Form 10-K).
101.CAL	Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document (included in the Original Form 10-K).
101.DEF	Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document (included in the Original Form 10-K).
101.LAB	Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document (included in the Original Form 10-K).
101.PRE	Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document (included in the Original Form 10-K).
104	Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101)*
*	Filed herewith.
+	Represents a management contract or a compensatory plan or arrangement.

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SIGNATURES

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

	BUSINESS FIRST BANCSHARES, INC.
March 15, 2023	By:	/s/ David R. Melville, III
		David R. Melville, III
		President and Chief Executive Officer

ex_488539.htm

EXHIBIT 31.1

CERTIFICATION OF PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICER

I, David R. Melville, III, certify that:

1.	I have reviewed this Annual Report on Form 10-K (as amended, this “Report”) of Business First Bancshares, Inc.;
2.	Based on my knowledge, this Report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this Report;
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3.	Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this Report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for the periods presented in this Report;
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4.	The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in the Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal controls over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:
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(a)	Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to me by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this Report is being prepared;
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(b)	Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with<br><br> <br>generally accepted accounting principles;
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(c)	Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this Report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this Report based on such evaluation; and
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(d)	Disclosed in this Report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and
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5.	The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):
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(a)	All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and
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(b)	Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.
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Date: March 15, 2023	/s/ David R. Melville, III
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	David R. Melville, III
	President and Chief Executive Officer

ex_488540.htm

EXHIBIT 31.2

CERTIFICATION OF PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL OFFICER

I, Gregory Robertson, certify that:

1.	I have reviewed this Annual Report on Form 10-K (as amended, this “Report”) of Business First Bancshares, Inc.;
2.	Based on my knowledge, this Report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this Report;
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3.	Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this Report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for the periods presented in this Report;
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4.	The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in the Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal controls over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:
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(a)	Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to me by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this Report is being prepared;
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(b)	Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with<br><br> <br>generally accepted accounting principles;
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(c)	Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this Report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this Report based on such evaluation; and
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(d)	Disclosed in this Report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and
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5.	The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):
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(a)	All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and
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(b)	Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.
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Date: March 15, 2023	/s/ Gregory Robertson
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	Gregory Robertson
	Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer