Ruffer LLP Purchases New Shares in Home BancShares, Inc. $HOMB

Key Points

• Ruffer LLP initiated a new stake in Home BancShares (HOMB) in Q4, buying 108,357 shares worth about $3.02 million, and institutional investors now own roughly 67.31% of the stock.
• CEO John W. Allison purchased 100,000 shares at an average price of $26.96 (~$2.70 million), raising his direct holdings to 5,798,926 shares; corporate insiders hold about 6.39% of the company.
• Home BancShares reported Q1 EPS of $0.60 (in line with estimates) with revenue slightly below consensus; the stock trades near $26.87 (52-week range $25.67–$30.83), has a market cap of ~$5.28B and a consensus analyst rating of Moderate Buy with an average price target of $31.40.

Ruffer LLP purchased a new stake in Home BancShares, Inc. (NYSE:HOMB - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 108,357 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,015,000. Ruffer LLP owned about 0.06% of Home BancShares at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Home BancShares by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,957,496 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $168,597,000 after buying an additional 45,848 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Home BancShares by 52.5% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,230,065 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $63,111,000 after purchasing an additional 767,844 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Home BancShares by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 2,082,532 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $58,936,000 after purchasing an additional 88,563 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG increased its position in shares of Home BancShares by 16.8% during the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,562,486 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $44,218,000 after purchasing an additional 225,224 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Home BancShares by 82.9% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,120,706 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $31,716,000 after purchasing an additional 508,127 shares during the last quarter. 67.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO John W. Allison bought 100,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, April 17th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $26.96 per share, for a total transaction of $2,696,000.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 5,798,926 shares in the company, valued at $156,339,044.96. This trade represents a 1.75% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director John W. Allison II sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.19, for a total value of $140,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 651,995 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,379,739.05. This represents a 0.76% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 6.39% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Home BancShares Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of NYSE HOMB opened at $26.87 on Wednesday. Home BancShares, Inc. has a 52 week low of $25.67 and a 52 week high of $30.83. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $27.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $27.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The company has a market cap of $5.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.06 and a beta of 0.75.

Home BancShares (NYSE:HOMB - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.60. Home BancShares had a return on equity of 11.11% and a net margin of 32.48%.The business had revenue of $266.71 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $274.06 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.56 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Home BancShares, Inc. will post 2.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HOMB has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Zacks Research lowered Home BancShares from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Cantor Fitzgerald decreased their target price on Home BancShares from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Stephens decreased their target price on Home BancShares from $34.00 to $32.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Home BancShares in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on Home BancShares from $32.00 to $30.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $31.40.

Home BancShares Profile

Home BancShares, Inc is a bank holding company based in Conway, Arkansas, operating through its primary subsidiary, Home Bank, National Association. Founded in March 1999, the company provides a comprehensive suite of banking services to individuals, small and middle-market businesses, and public entities. These services encompass deposit accounts, consumer and commercial lending, mortgage origination and servicing, treasury management, and wealth management solutions.

The company's core products include checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, and money market accounts, as well as a variety of loan offerings such as commercial real estate financing, equipment loans, agricultural lending, and residential mortgages.

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