Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Analyst Says

Key Points

• Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Simmons First National’s price target to $26 from $25 while maintaining a “market perform” rating, implying approximately 9.2% upside. Analysts’ consensus is a “Moderate Buy” with a $25.21 target price.
• SFNC shares rose 3.6% to $23.81, near the stock’s 12-month high of $24.32. Recent analyst actions were mixed, including Piper Sandler’s upgrade to “overweight” and continued neutral or hold ratings from others.
• The bank reported quarterly EPS of $0.50, below the $0.53 consensus estimate, although revenue increased 16.1% year over year. Institutional investors own 27.58% of the company, with major holders including Vanguard, State Street, and Wellington Management.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC - Get Free Report) had its price objective increased by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $25.00 to $26.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "market perform" rating on the bank's stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods' price objective suggests a potential upside of 9.20% from the company's current price.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed a "positive" rating on shares of Simmons First National in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Piper Sandler raised shares of Simmons First National from an "underweight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $27.50 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Simmons First National in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. DA Davidson reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $23.00 price target on shares of Simmons First National in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Raymond James Financial restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $25.00 price target on shares of Simmons First National in a report on Friday, July 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Simmons First National has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $25.21.

Simmons First National Trading Up 3.6%

Shares of SFNC stock traded up $0.83 on Friday, hitting $23.81. The stock had a trading volume of 1,121,500 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,287,239. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Simmons First National has a twelve month low of $17.00 and a twelve month high of $24.32. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $23.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $21.58. The firm has a market cap of $3.44 billion, a P/E ratio of -9.43 and a beta of 0.89.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 16th. The bank reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.53 by ($0.03). Simmons First National had a negative net margin of 24.64% and a positive return on equity of 8.32%. Simmons First National's revenue was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.44 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Simmons First National will post 2.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Simmons First National

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of SFNC. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Simmons First National by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,471,523 shares of the bank's stock valued at $310,488,000 after purchasing an additional 51,914 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Simmons First National by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,569,943 shares of the bank's stock worth $144,223,000 after purchasing an additional 389,634 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Simmons First National by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,814,476 shares of the bank's stock valued at $128,453,000 after buying an additional 70,486 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Simmons First National by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 4,508,330 shares of the bank's stock valued at $86,425,000 after buying an additional 91,596 shares during the last quarter. Finally, California State Teachers Retirement System grew its stake in shares of Simmons First National by 1,978.2% in the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 3,734,238 shares of the bank's stock valued at $84,580,000 after buying an additional 3,554,556 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 27.58% of the company's stock.

About Simmons First National

Simmons First National Corporation NASDAQ: SFNC is a bank holding company headquartered in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Through its primary operating subsidiary, Simmons Bank, the company maintains a network of more than 200 branches across Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Mississippi, Texas, Oklahoma and North Carolina. Simmons First National offers a full suite of financial services to individuals, small businesses and commercial clients, emphasizing relationship-driven community banking.

The company's core business activities span deposit-taking, lending and payment services.

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