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Side-by-side financial comparison of Business First Bancshares, Inc. (BFST) and NLIGHT, INC. (LASR). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
Business First Bancshares, Inc. is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($83.1M vs $81.2M, roughly 1.0× NLIGHT, INC.). On growth, NLIGHT, INC. posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (71.3% vs 7.1%). Business First Bancshares, Inc. produced more free cash flow last quarter ($92.0M vs $15.9M). Over the past eight quarters, NLIGHT, INC.'s revenue compounded faster (35.0% CAGR vs 16.8%).
First Citizens Bancshares, Inc. is a bank holding company based in Raleigh, North Carolina and one of the largest banks in the United States. Its primary subsidiary is First Citizens Bank, which operates over 500 branches in 23 states. A second subsidiary is Silicon Valley Bank, which operates 39 offices in 15 states.
nLight Inc. is a global developer and manufacturer of high-performance semiconductor lasers, fiber lasers, and related optical components. Its products serve key segments including industrial precision manufacturing, aerospace and defense, medical equipment, and advanced research, with customers across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific.
BFST vs LASR — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q4 FY2025 vs Q4 FY2025
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $83.1M | $81.2M |
| Net Profit | — | $-4.9M |
| Gross Margin | — | 30.7% |
| Operating Margin | 33.2% | -6.7% |
| Net Margin | — | -6.0% |
| Revenue YoY | 7.1% | 71.3% |
| Net Profit YoY | — | 80.3% |
| EPS (diluted) | $0.71 | $-0.10 |
Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.
8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend
Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.
| Q4 25 | $83.1M | $81.2M | ||
| Q3 25 | $80.9M | $66.7M | ||
| Q2 25 | $81.5M | $61.7M | ||
| Q1 25 | $79.2M | $51.7M | ||
| Q4 24 | $77.6M | $47.4M | ||
| Q3 24 | $66.9M | $56.1M | ||
| Q2 24 | $66.2M | $50.5M | ||
| Q1 24 | $60.9M | $44.5M |
| Q4 25 | — | $-4.9M | ||
| Q3 25 | $22.9M | $-6.9M | ||
| Q2 25 | $22.1M | $-3.6M | ||
| Q1 25 | $20.5M | $-8.1M | ||
| Q4 24 | — | $-25.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $17.8M | $-10.3M | ||
| Q2 24 | $17.2M | $-11.7M | ||
| Q1 24 | $13.6M | $-13.8M |
| Q4 25 | — | 30.7% | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 31.1% | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 29.9% | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 26.7% | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 2.4% | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 22.4% | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 23.5% | ||
| Q1 24 | — | 16.8% |
| Q4 25 | 33.2% | -6.7% | ||
| Q3 25 | 35.7% | -10.9% | ||
| Q2 25 | 34.4% | -6.9% | ||
| Q1 25 | 32.6% | -18.6% | ||
| Q4 24 | 27.5% | -55.8% | ||
| Q3 24 | 34.0% | -21.0% | ||
| Q2 24 | 32.9% | -25.1% | ||
| Q1 24 | 28.2% | -33.1% |
| Q4 25 | — | -6.0% | ||
| Q3 25 | 28.2% | -10.3% | ||
| Q2 25 | 27.1% | -5.8% | ||
| Q1 25 | 25.9% | -15.7% | ||
| Q4 24 | — | -52.7% | ||
| Q3 24 | 26.7% | -18.4% | ||
| Q2 24 | 26.0% | -23.2% | ||
| Q1 24 | 22.3% | -30.9% |
| Q4 25 | $0.71 | $-0.10 | ||
| Q3 25 | $0.73 | $-0.14 | ||
| Q2 25 | $0.70 | $-0.07 | ||
| Q1 25 | $0.65 | $-0.16 | ||
| Q4 24 | $0.51 | $-0.52 | ||
| Q3 24 | $0.65 | $-0.21 | ||
| Q2 24 | $0.62 | $-0.25 | ||
| Q1 24 | $0.48 | $-0.29 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | $411.2M | $98.7M |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | — | — |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $896.9M | $226.7M |
| Total Assets | $8.2B | $315.2M |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | — | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $411.2M | $98.7M | ||
| Q3 25 | $399.1M | $81.1M | ||
| Q2 25 | $495.8M | $78.8M | ||
| Q1 25 | $312.9M | $82.2M | ||
| Q4 24 | $319.1M | $65.8M | ||
| Q3 24 | $213.2M | $41.5M | ||
| Q2 24 | $208.1M | $49.4M | ||
| Q1 24 | $185.9M | $61.3M |
| Q4 25 | $896.9M | $226.7M | ||
| Q3 25 | $878.4M | $218.5M | ||
| Q2 25 | $848.4M | $216.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $826.3M | $212.8M | ||
| Q4 24 | $799.5M | $216.4M | ||
| Q3 24 | $699.5M | $235.3M | ||
| Q2 24 | $664.5M | $239.5M | ||
| Q1 24 | $649.0M | $244.4M |
| Q4 25 | $8.2B | $315.2M | ||
| Q3 25 | $8.0B | $298.7M | ||
| Q2 25 | $7.9B | $295.3M | ||
| Q1 25 | $7.8B | $290.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | $7.9B | $270.2M | ||
| Q3 24 | $6.9B | $291.3M | ||
| Q2 24 | $6.7B | $294.3M | ||
| Q1 24 | $6.7B | $302.8M |
Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency
How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash FlowLast quarter | $92.1M | $17.5M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $92.0M | $15.9M |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | 110.7% | 19.6% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 0.1% | 2.0% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | — | — |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $165.6M | $12.3M |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $92.1M | $17.5M | ||
| Q3 25 | $32.4M | $5.2M | ||
| Q2 25 | $14.0M | $-1.4M | ||
| Q1 25 | $28.7M | $-20.0K | ||
| Q4 24 | $61.4M | $-3.9M | ||
| Q3 24 | $21.4M | $-5.6M | ||
| Q2 24 | $15.1M | $-4.2M | ||
| Q1 24 | $7.6M | $11.4M |
| Q4 25 | $92.0M | $15.9M | ||
| Q3 25 | $32.1M | $2.4M | ||
| Q2 25 | $13.8M | $-3.8M | ||
| Q1 25 | $27.7M | $-2.3M | ||
| Q4 24 | $59.8M | $-6.5M | ||
| Q3 24 | $21.0M | $-7.2M | ||
| Q2 24 | $14.0M | $-6.4M | ||
| Q1 24 | $7.2M | $9.8M |
| Q4 25 | 110.7% | 19.6% | ||
| Q3 25 | 39.6% | 3.7% | ||
| Q2 25 | 16.9% | -6.1% | ||
| Q1 25 | 34.9% | -4.5% | ||
| Q4 24 | 77.1% | -13.7% | ||
| Q3 24 | 31.4% | -12.9% | ||
| Q2 24 | 21.2% | -12.6% | ||
| Q1 24 | 11.8% | 22.1% |
| Q4 25 | 0.1% | 2.0% | ||
| Q3 25 | 0.4% | 4.2% | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.3% | 3.9% | ||
| Q1 25 | 1.3% | 4.4% | ||
| Q4 24 | 2.0% | 5.5% | ||
| Q3 24 | 0.6% | 2.9% | ||
| Q2 24 | 1.6% | 4.2% | ||
| Q1 24 | 0.6% | 3.5% |
| Q4 25 | — | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 1.42× | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.63× | — | ||
| Q1 25 | 1.40× | — | ||
| Q4 24 | — | — | ||
| Q3 24 | 1.20× | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 0.88× | — | ||
| Q1 24 | 0.56× | — |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
BFST
Segment breakdown not available.
LASR
| Aerospaceand Defense | $56.3M | 69% |
| Microfabrication | $14.2M | 18% |
| Industrial | $10.7M | 13% |
