Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Acquires Shares of 72,688 Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) (NYSE:HOMB)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) (NYSE:HOMB - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 72,688 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,057,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. 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 bought a new stake in Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of 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 valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 530 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) in the fourth quarter worth approximately $53,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 777 shares during the last quarter. 67.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) Stock Down 0.9%

Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) stock traded down $0.26 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $29.06. 75,155 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,013,997. Home Bancshares, Inc. has a one year low of $22.42 and a one year high of $32.91. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $27.60 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $29.00. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The company has a market cap of $5.74 billion, a PE ratio of 14.38 and a beta of 0.79.

Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) (NYSE:HOMB - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.02. The company 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 firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be given a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 14th. This is an increase from Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR)'s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.75%. Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR)'s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) 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 sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Kevin Hester sold 7,128 shares of Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.67, for a total transaction of $204,359.76. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 124,912 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,581,227.04. The trade was a 5.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $33.00 price target on shares of Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) in a research report on Monday, April 21st. StockNews.com upgraded Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR) from $33.00 to $31.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $32.40.

About Home Bancshares, Inc. (Conway, AR)

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.