Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) Given New $25.00 Price Target at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

Key Points

• Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered Simmons First National’s price target to $25 from $26 while maintaining an “outperform” rating, implying 12.77% upside from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment remains generally positive, with MarketBeat reporting a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $25.31, despite mixed recommendations from other firms.
• Simmons First National reported quarterly EPS of $0.54, slightly above expectations, while revenue reached $251.17 million and increased 8% year over year.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC - Get Free Report) had its price objective cut by equities researchers at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $26.00 to $25.00 in a report released on Monday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "outperform" rating on the bank's stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods' price target suggests a potential upside of 12.77% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on SFNC. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $25.00 price target on shares of Simmons First National in a report on Friday, July 17th. Piper Sandler raised shares of Simmons First National from an "underweight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $26.00 to $27.50 in a research note on Friday, September 4th. Morgan Stanley downgraded Simmons First National from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $24.00 to $26.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Simmons First National in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $25.00 target price on Simmons First National in a research report on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $25.31.

Simmons First National Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SFNC traded up $0.10 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $22.17. 423,675 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,341,960. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.20 billion, a PE ratio of 12.42 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 0.95. Simmons First National has a 12 month low of $17.00 and a 12 month high of $24.32. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $22.92 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $22.23.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 15th. The bank reported $0.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $251.17 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $254.03 million. Simmons First National had a return on equity of 8.73% and a net margin of 18.38%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.46 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Simmons First National will post 2.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Simmons First National

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SFNC. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in shares of Simmons First National by 17,016.7% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 125,294 shares of the bank's stock worth $2,437,000 after purchasing an additional 124,562 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in shares of Simmons First National by 24.7% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 624,613 shares of the bank's stock valued at $12,149,000 after buying an additional 123,732 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its stake in shares of Simmons First National by 213.2% in the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 206,793 shares of the bank's stock valued at $4,022,000 after buying an additional 140,769 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. grew its stake in shares of Simmons First National by 151.6% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 405,336 shares of the bank's stock valued at $7,884,000 after buying an additional 244,220 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in Simmons First National by 33.5% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 625,391 shares of the bank's stock worth $12,164,000 after buying an additional 157,061 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 27.58% of the company's stock.

About Simmons First National

Simmons First National Corporation is a financial services company headquartered in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and the parent company of Simmons Bank. Founded in 1903, the company has grown from a community bank into a regional banking organization serving businesses, individuals and institutions.

Simmons Bank provides a range of banking services, including checking and savings accounts, commercial and consumer lending, residential mortgage lending, credit cards and treasury management. The bank also offers wealth management, trust, investment and brokerage services to individuals, businesses and nonprofit organizations.

Through its branch network and digital banking platforms, Simmons Bank serves customers in Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas.

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