StockNews.com Upgrades Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) (NYSE:HOMB) to "Hold"

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) (NYSE:HOMB - Free Report) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Friday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on HOMB. Hovde Group dropped their price objective on Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) from $36.00 to $35.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $34.00 target price on shares of Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $32.40.

Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) Price Performance

Shares of HOMB traded up $0.32 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $27.55. 1,128,114 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,019,990. Home Bancshares, Inc. has a 52-week low of $22.42 and a 52-week high of $32.91. The company has a market cap of $5.47 billion, a PE ratio of 13.64 and a beta of 0.93. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $27.91 and a two-hundred day moving average of $28.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.89.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 4,301 shares of the company's stock, valued at $118,062.45. This represents a 36.76 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 6.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new stake in Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Trust Co. of Vermont purchased a new position in Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) during the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) 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 during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) in the 4th quarter valued at $53,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in shares of Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) by 63.6% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,999 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 777 shares during the period. 67.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.