72,688 Shares in Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) (NYSE:HOMB) Bought by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) (NYSE:HOMB - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 72,688 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,057,000.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) during the fourth quarter worth $60,169,000. Boston Partners purchased a new position in Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) during the fourth quarter worth about $27,825,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) by 1,545.1% in the fourth quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 393,171 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $11,127,000 after purchasing an additional 369,271 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) by 18.4% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 2,090,463 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $59,160,000 after acquiring an additional 324,664 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) by 24.2% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,285,348 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $36,375,000 after purchasing an additional 250,703 shares in the last quarter. 67.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on HOMB shares. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $33.00 target price on shares of Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) in a report on Monday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) from $33.00 to $31.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $32.40.

Insider Buying and Selling at Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR)

In related news, insider Kevin Hester sold 7,128 shares of Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.67, for a total value of $204,359.76. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 124,912 shares in the company, valued at $3,581,227.04. This trade represents a 5.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Jennifer C. Floyd sold 2,500 shares of Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.45, for a total transaction of $68,625.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 4,301 shares in the company, valued at $118,062.45. This trade represents a 36.76% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 6.30% of the company's stock.

Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) Stock Performance

Shares of Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) stock traded down $0.20 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $28.28. The company's stock had a trading volume of 746,764 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,011,579. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.89. Home Bancshares, Inc. has a one year low of $22.42 and a one year high of $32.91. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $27.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $28.92. The stock has a market cap of $5.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.00 and a beta of 0.79.

Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) (NYSE:HOMB - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $260.08 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $255.20 million. Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) had a net margin of 27.39% and a return on equity of 10.31%. As a group, analysts expect that Home Bancshares, Inc. will post 2.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 4th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be paid a $0.20 dividend. This is a positive change from Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR)'s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 14th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.83%. Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR)'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.10%.

Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) Profile

Home Bancshares, Inc (Conway, AR) operates as the bank holding company for Centennial Bank that provides commercial and retail banking, and related financial services to businesses, real estate developers and investors, individuals, and municipalities. Its deposit products include checking, savings, and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposit.