Home BancShares, Inc. (NYSE:HOMB) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of Home BancShares, Inc. (NYSE:HOMB - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the five ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $32.40.

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Home BancShares from $33.00 to $31.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Home BancShares from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $33.00 price target on shares of Home BancShares in a report on Monday, April 21st.

Home BancShares Stock Up 0.4%

NYSE HOMB traded up $0.10 on Monday, hitting $27.54. 716,092 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 997,846. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $27.98 and a 200 day moving average of $28.64. Home BancShares has a twelve month low of $22.90 and a twelve month high of $32.91. The company has a market capitalization of $5.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.11 and a beta of 0.80.

Home BancShares (NYSE:HOMB - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.54 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $260.08 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $255.20 million. Home BancShares had a return on equity of 10.49% and a net margin of 28.44%. As a group, analysts expect that Home BancShares will post 2.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Home BancShares Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 4th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 14th were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 14th. This is a positive change from Home BancShares's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.90%. Home BancShares's dividend payout ratio is 38.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Home BancShares

In related news, CAO Jennifer C. Floyd sold 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.45, for a total value of $68,625.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 4,301 shares in the company, valued at approximately $118,062.45. This represents a 36.76% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Kevin Hester sold 7,128 shares of Home BancShares stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 124,912 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,581,227.04. This represents a 5.40% 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

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of HOMB. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in Home BancShares in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S acquired a new position in Home BancShares during the 1st quarter valued at about $39,000. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Home BancShares by 48.2% during the 4th quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,630 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 530 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of Home BancShares in the 4th quarter worth approximately $53,000. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new position in Home BancShares in the first quarter valued at about $64,000. 67.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Home BancShares

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.