Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) (NYSE:HOMB) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) (NYSE:HOMB - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the five brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $32.40.

Several brokerages have issued reports on HOMB. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $33.00 target price on shares of Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) in a report on Monday, April 21st. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) from $33.00 to $31.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th.

Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of HOMB stock traded down $0.15 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $28.06. 603,829 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,013,864. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.89 and a beta of 0.79. Home Bancshares, Inc. has a 12-month low of $22.42 and a 12-month high of $32.91. The company's 50-day moving average price is $27.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $29.01. 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. (Conway, AR) (NYSE:HOMB - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.54 by $0.02. Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) had a return on equity of 10.31% and a net margin of 27.39%. The firm had revenue of $260.08 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $255.20 million. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Home Bancshares, Inc. will post 2.19 earnings per share for the current year.

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

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This is a positive change from Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR)'s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 14th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.85%. Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR)'s payout ratio is presently 38.10%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Kevin Hester sold 7,128 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.67, for a total value of $204,359.76. Following the sale, the insider now owns 124,912 shares in the company, valued at $3,581,227.04. This represents a 5.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Jennifer C. Floyd sold 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.45, for a total transaction of $68,625.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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. Corporate insiders own 6.30% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR)

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. State of Michigan Retirement System increased its position in shares of Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) by 0.9% in the first quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 44,230 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,250,000 after buying an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Everhart Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Everhart Financial Group Inc. now owns 20,058 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $568,000 after acquiring an additional 409 shares during the period. Xponance Inc. grew its stake in Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 26,770 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $757,000 after acquiring an additional 476 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System increased its holdings in Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 51,800 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,464,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) by 48.2% during the fourth quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,630 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 530 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.31% 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.