Vest Financial LLC Makes New $1.69 Million Investment in Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) (NYSE:HOMB)

Vest Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) (NYSE:HOMB - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 59,807 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,691,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,291,980 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $574,263,000 after buying an additional 121,845 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,791,837 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $192,211,000 after acquiring an additional 124,891 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,166,844 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $61,322,000 after acquiring an additional 120,691 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) in the 4th quarter valued at about $60,169,000. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) by 18.4% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 2,090,463 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $59,160,000 after purchasing an additional 324,664 shares during the period. 67.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on 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. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $33.00 target price on shares of Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $32.40.

Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) Stock Up 2.1%

Shares of NYSE:HOMB opened at $28.43 on Friday. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $27.60 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $28.85. 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 12-month low of $22.42 and a 12-month high of $32.91. The firm has a market cap of $5.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.07 and a beta of 0.80.

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

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

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th were issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.81%. This is an increase from Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR)'s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 14th. Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR)'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.10%.

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

In related news, insider Kevin Hester sold 7,128 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.67, for a total transaction of $204,359.76. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 124,912 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,581,227.04. This trade represents a 5.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Jennifer C. Floyd sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.45, for a total value of $68,625.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 4,301 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $118,062.45. This trade represents a 36.76% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 6.30% of the company's stock.

Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) Company Profile

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.

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