MQS Management LLC Invests $313,000 in Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ:SFNC)

MQS Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ:SFNC - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 15,242 shares of the bank's stock, valued at approximately $313,000.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Jones Financial Companies Lllp purchased a new position in shares of Simmons First National during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in Simmons First National during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in Simmons First National in the 4th quarter worth about $47,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Simmons First National by 813.8% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 3,911 shares of the bank's stock worth $87,000 after buying an additional 3,483 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC lifted its position in shares of Simmons First National by 99.0% during the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,625 shares of the bank's stock worth $95,000 after buying an additional 2,301 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.58% of the company's stock.

Simmons First National Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ SFNC traded up $0.38 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $20.07. The company had a trading volume of 627,760 shares, compared to its average volume of 634,767. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Simmons First National Corporation has a 1 year low of $17.20 and a 1 year high of $25.95. The company has a market capitalization of $2.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.34 and a beta of 0.92. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $19.24 and its 200-day moving average price is $20.22.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The bank reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.04. Simmons First National had a return on equity of 4.86% and a net margin of 10.10%. The firm had revenue of $214.18 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $217.21 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.33 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Simmons First National Corporation will post 1.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Simmons First National Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th were given a dividend of $0.2125 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 13th. This represents a $0.85 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.24%. Simmons First National's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 73.28%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Piper Sandler upgraded Simmons First National from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $20.00 to $21.00 in a report on Monday, April 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on shares of Simmons First National from $23.00 to $21.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Stephens dropped their target price on shares of Simmons First National from $27.00 to $25.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 21st.

Simmons First National Company Profile

Simmons First National Corporation operates as the holding company for Simmons Bank that provides banking and other financial products and services to individuals and businesses. The company offers checking, savings, and time deposits; consumer, real estate, and commercial loans; agricultural finance, equipment, and small business administration lending; trust and fiduciary services; credit cards; investment management products; treasury management; insurance products; and securities and investment services.