Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) Stock Price Crosses Above 200-Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• SFNC shares crossed above their 200-day moving average, reaching $23.10 and last trading at $22.90 versus the $21.97 average.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $25.50 target price, although Morgan Stanley downgraded the stock to “underweight.”
• The bank reported quarterly EPS of $0.50, below the $0.53 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 16.1% year over year; it also maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.215, yielding about 3.8% annually.

Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ:SFNC - Get Free Report)'s stock price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday. The stock has a 200-day moving average of $21.97 and traded as high as $23.10. Simmons First National shares last traded at $22.90, with a volume of 2,363,135 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on SFNC. Morgan Stanley cut Simmons First National from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $24.00 to $26.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. Piper Sandler upgraded Simmons First National from an "underweight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $26.00 to $27.50 in a research report on Friday, September 4th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $23.00 target price on shares of Simmons First National in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $25.00 target price on shares of Simmons First National in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of Simmons First National from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $25.00 to $26.00 in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $25.50.

Simmons First National Price Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $23.17 and a 200 day moving average of $21.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.31 billion, a PE ratio of -9.05 and a beta of 0.92.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 16th. The bank reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.53 by ($0.03). Simmons First National had a negative net margin of 24.64% and a positive return on equity of 8.32%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.44 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Simmons First National Corporation will post 2.06 EPS for the current year.

Simmons First National Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were paid a $0.2150 dividend. This represents a $0.86 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. Simmons First National's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -33.99%.

Institutional Trading of Simmons First National

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of SFNC. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Simmons First National by 3.9% during the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,591,542 shares of the bank's stock worth $149,298,000 after purchasing an additional 245,024 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Simmons First National by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,558,574 shares of the bank's stock worth $67,090,000 after buying an additional 53,994 shares in the last quarter. Basswood Capital Management L.L.C. boosted its stake in Simmons First National by 325.7% during the fourth quarter. Basswood Capital Management L.L.C. now owns 1,143,055 shares of the bank's stock worth $21,547,000 after buying an additional 874,513 shares during the last quarter. Leeward Investments LLC MA purchased a new stake in Simmons First National in the 1st quarter valued at $15,744,000. Finally, Bridgeway Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Simmons First National by 6.3% in the 4th quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 771,712 shares of the bank's stock valued at $14,547,000 after buying an additional 45,789 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 27.58% of the company's stock.

About Simmons First National

Simmons First National Corporation is a financial services company headquartered in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and the parent company of Simmons Bank. Founded in 1903, the company has grown from a community bank into a regional banking organization serving businesses, individuals and institutions.

Simmons Bank provides a range of banking services, including checking and savings accounts, commercial and consumer lending, residential mortgage lending, credit cards and treasury management. The bank also offers wealth management, trust, investment and brokerage services to individuals, businesses and nonprofit organizations.

Through its branch network and digital banking platforms, Simmons Bank serves customers in Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas.

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