Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ:SFNC) CEO Purchases $324,675.00 in Stock

Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ:SFNC - Get Free Report) CEO George Makris, Jr. acquired 17,550 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 23rd. The shares were bought at an average price of $18.50 per share, for a total transaction of $324,675.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 651,703 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,056,505.50. This trade represents a 2.77% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Simmons First National Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ SFNC traded down $0.45 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $19.66. The stock had a trading volume of 4,203,560 shares, compared to its average volume of 819,213. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $19.24 and a 200-day moving average of $20.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.80. The company has a market capitalization of $2.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.48 and a beta of 0.92. Simmons First National Corporation has a 12-month low of $17.20 and a 12-month high of $25.95.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The bank reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.04. Simmons First National had a return on equity of 5.23% and a net margin of 11.19%. The firm had revenue of $214.18 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $217.21 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.33 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Simmons First National Corporation will post 1.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Simmons First National Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th were issued a dividend of $0.2125 per share. This represents a $0.85 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.32%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 13th. Simmons First National's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.93%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on SFNC shares. Stephens lowered their price target on Simmons First National from $27.00 to $25.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. Piper Sandler upgraded shares of Simmons First National from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $20.00 to $21.00 in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Simmons First National from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, July 18th. DA Davidson increased their price target on shares of Simmons First National from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on Simmons First National from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Simmons First National presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $22.75.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Simmons First National

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of SFNC. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in Simmons First National during the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Simmons First National during the fourth quarter valued at about $47,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Simmons First National by 35.2% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,426 shares of the bank's stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 892 shares in the last quarter. SouthState Corp purchased a new position in shares of Simmons First National during the first quarter valued at about $71,000. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Simmons First National by 813.8% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 3,911 shares of the bank's stock valued at $87,000 after buying an additional 3,483 shares in the last quarter. 27.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Simmons First National

Simmons First National Corporation operates as the holding company for Simmons Bank that provides banking and other financial products and services to individuals and businesses. The company offers checking, savings, and time deposits; consumer, real estate, and commercial loans; agricultural finance, equipment, and small business administration lending; trust and fiduciary services; credit cards; investment management products; treasury management; insurance products; and securities and investment services.

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