Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Makes New $2.06 Million Investment in Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) (NYSE:HOMB)

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

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) by 48.2% during the fourth quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,630 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 530 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust acquired a new position in Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $60,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new position in shares of Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) in the fourth quarter valued at $85,000. 67.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Transactions at Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR)

In other news, CAO Jennifer C. Floyd sold 2,500 shares of the business's 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $118,062.45. The trade was a 36.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Kevin Hester sold 7,128 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.67, for a total value of $204,359.76. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 124,912 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,581,227.04. The trade was a 5.40% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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

HOMB stock traded up $0.16 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $28.45. 505,631 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,011,647. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.62 billion, a PE ratio of 14.08 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. Home Bancshares, Inc. has a 1-year low of $22.42 and a 1-year high of $32.91. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $27.63 and a 200-day simple moving average of $28.97.

Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) (NYSE:HOMB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.54 by $0.02. Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) had a return on equity of 10.31% and a net margin of 27.39%. The firm had revenue of $260.08 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $255.20 million. On average, equities analysts forecast that Home Bancshares, Inc. will post 2.19 earnings per share for the current year.

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

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 14th. This is a positive change from Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR)'s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR)'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.10%.

About Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR)

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.