UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Boosts Holdings in Simmons First National Co. (NASDAQ:SFNC)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in Simmons First National Co. (NASDAQ:SFNC - Free Report) by 28.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 235,147 shares of the bank's stock after buying an additional 52,089 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned 0.19% of Simmons First National worth $5,216,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Jones Financial Companies Lllp bought a new stake in Simmons First National in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Simmons First National during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Simmons First National during the fourth quarter worth $47,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Simmons First National by 168.3% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,144 shares of the bank's stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 1,345 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its position in Simmons First National by 813.8% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 3,911 shares of the bank's stock valued at $87,000 after purchasing an additional 3,483 shares in the last quarter. 27.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Piper Sandler upgraded shares of Simmons First National from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their target price for the company from $20.00 to $21.00 in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on shares of Simmons First National from $23.00 to $21.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research 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 report on Monday, April 21st.

Simmons First National Stock Up 2.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:SFNC traded up $0.38 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $18.96. 450,843 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 616,255. Simmons First National Co. has a 12 month low of $16.03 and a 12 month high of $25.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $18.80 and a 200-day moving average price of $21.11. The company has a market cap of $2.39 billion, a PE ratio of 15.67 and a beta of 0.93.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The bank reported $0.26 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.36 by ($0.10). Simmons First National had a net margin of 10.46% and a return on equity of 5.10%. The company had revenue of $209.58 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $209.00 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.32 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Simmons First National Co. will post 1.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Simmons First National Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th will be issued a $0.2125 dividend. This represents a $0.85 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.48%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. Simmons First National's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 73.28%.

About Simmons First National

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.