Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ:SFNC) Shares Acquired by Westwood Holdings Group Inc.

Key Points

• Westwood Holdings Group Inc. increased its stake in Simmons First National Corporation by 119.9%, owning approximately 3.48 million shares valued at $71.5 million after acquiring 1.9 million shares in the first quarter.
• Multiple large investors, including JPMorgan Chase & Co. and FJ Capital Management LLC, have also boosted their holdings in Simmons First National during the fourth quarter, indicating strong institutional interest in the stock.
• Simmons First National reported a quarterly earnings per share of $0.44, surpassing analysts' expectations, with revenue rising 8.6% year-over-year despite falling short of estimates.

Westwood Holdings Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ:SFNC - Free Report) by 119.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,483,147 shares of the bank's stock after acquiring an additional 1,899,407 shares during the period. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. owned approximately 2.77% of Simmons First National worth $71,509,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Simmons First National during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Simmons First National in the 4th quarter valued at $47,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Simmons First National by 813.8% in the 4th 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 during the period. CWM LLC lifted its stake in shares of Simmons First National by 99.0% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,625 shares of the bank's stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 2,301 shares during the period. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Simmons First National in the 4th quarter valued at $114,000. 27.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Simmons First National

In other Simmons First National news, CFO Charles Daniel Hobbs bought 5,400 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $18.50 per share, with a total value of $99,900.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer directly owned 10,213 shares of the company's stock, valued at $188,940.50. This represents a 112.20% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Russell William Teubner bought 4,050 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 23rd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $18.50 per share, with a total value of $74,925.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 25,576 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $473,156. This represents a 18.81% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have bought 89,555 shares of company stock valued at $1,656,768. 1.44% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Simmons First National Price Performance

NASDAQ SFNC traded up $0.24 on Friday, hitting $18.95. The company had a trading volume of 752,941 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,205,334. The company has a market capitalization of $2.74 billion, a PE ratio of 14.92 and a beta of 0.95. The company's fifty day moving average price is $19.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $19.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80. Simmons First National Corporation has a 12-month low of $17.20 and a 12-month high of $25.95.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

SFNC has been the subject of several analyst reports. Piper Sandler upgraded shares of Simmons First National from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $20.00 to $21.00 in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Simmons First National from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Stephens decreased their target price on shares of Simmons First National from $27.00 to $25.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of Simmons First National from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Finally, DA Davidson boosted their target price on shares of Simmons First National from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Simmons First National presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $22.75.

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.