Quantbot Technologies LP Buys 28,523 Shares of Simmons First National Corporation $SFNC

Key Points

• Quantbot Technologies LP increased its holdings in Simmons First National Corporation by 71.2%, owning approximately 68,595 shares valued at $1,408,000 after acquiring additional shares in the first quarter.
• Simmons First National has received upgrades from analysts, with institutions setting a new average price target of $22.75 and a rating of "Moderate Buy."
• Insider trading activity included significant purchases by the CFO and COO, with insiders acquiring a total of 100,755 shares in the past ninety days.

Quantbot Technologies LP raised its position in Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ:SFNC - Free Report) by 71.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 68,595 shares of the bank's stock after buying an additional 28,523 shares during the quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP owned 0.05% of Simmons First National worth $1,408,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Simmons First National by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 691,328 shares of the bank's stock valued at $14,193,000 after buying an additional 17,888 shares in the last quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC grew its holdings in Simmons First National by 7.7% in the 1st quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC now owns 14,738 shares of the bank's stock valued at $303,000 after buying an additional 1,056 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV grew its holdings in Simmons First National by 18.7% in the 1st quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 7,231 shares of the bank's stock valued at $148,000 after buying an additional 1,140 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Simmons First National in the 1st quarter valued at $1,086,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Simmons First National by 2,047.9% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 52,023 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,068,000 after buying an additional 49,601 shares in the last quarter. 27.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Simmons First National Trading Down 0.3%

Simmons First National stock traded down $0.07 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $20.79. The stock had a trading volume of 85,329 shares, compared to its average volume of 850,969. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The stock has a market cap of $3.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.33 and a beta of 0.95. Simmons First National Corporation has a one year low of $17.20 and a one year high of $25.95. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $19.64 and its 200-day simple moving average is $19.70.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The bank reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $214.18 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $217.21 million. Simmons First National had a return on equity of 5.23% and a net margin of 11.19%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.33 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Simmons First National Corporation will post 1.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SFNC has been the topic of several analyst reports. DA Davidson increased their target price on Simmons First National from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Wall Street Zen raised Simmons First National from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, July 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Simmons First National from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. Finally, Zacks Research raised Simmons First National from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, August 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $22.75.

Insider Transactions at Simmons First National

In other news, Director Steven A. Cosse bought 13,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $18.50 per share, for a total transaction of $249,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 104,120 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,926,220. This trade represents a 14.90% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO George Makris, Jr. bought 28,075 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $18.50 per share, with a total value of $519,387.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 29,550 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $546,675. The trade was a 1,903.39% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders purchased 100,755 shares of company stock valued at $1,865,332. 1.44% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.