Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ:SFNC) COO Steenberg Christopher J. Van Buys 13,500 Shares

Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ:SFNC - Get Free Report) COO Steenberg Christopher J. Van acquired 13,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 23rd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $18.50 per share, for a total transaction of $249,750.00. Following the acquisition, the chief operating officer owned 13,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $249,750. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Simmons First National Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SFNC traded down $0.45 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $19.66. The company had a trading volume of 4,203,560 shares, compared to its average volume of 819,213. The stock has a market cap of $2.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.48 and a beta of 0.92. The company's 50 day moving average price is $19.24 and its 200 day moving average price is $20.16. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. Simmons First National Corporation has a 52-week low of $17.20 and a 52-week high of $25.95.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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. The company had revenue of $214.18 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $217.21 million. Simmons First National had a net margin of 11.19% and a return on equity of 5.23%. Simmons First National's quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.33 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Simmons First National Corporation will post 1.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Simmons First National Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th were paid a $0.2125 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 13th. This represents a $0.85 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.32%. Simmons First National's payout ratio is presently 66.93%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Simmons First National by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,866,647 shares of the bank's stock valued at $329,742,000 after acquiring an additional 630,376 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Simmons First National by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 7,616,599 shares of the bank's stock worth $168,938,000 after acquiring an additional 51,468 shares during the period. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Simmons First National by 119.9% in the first quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 3,483,147 shares of the bank's stock valued at $71,509,000 after purchasing an additional 1,899,407 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Simmons First National by 140.6% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,518,806 shares of the bank's stock valued at $31,181,000 after purchasing an additional 887,603 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in Simmons First National in the 4th quarter worth about $27,095,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 27.58% of the company's stock.

Simmons First National Company Profile

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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