Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ:SFNC) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ:SFNC - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the six research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, one has issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $22.75.

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of Simmons First National from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 21st. DA Davidson raised their price objective on shares of Simmons First National from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Simmons First National in a research note on Wednesday. Zacks Research upgraded Simmons First National from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Simmons First National from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, July 18th.

Insider Transactions at Simmons First National

In other Simmons First National news, COO Steenberg Christopher J. Van purchased 13,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $18.50 per share, with a total value 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. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Russell William Teubner bought 9,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 7th. The stock was bought at an average price of $18.62 per share, with a total value of $171,304.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 53,220 shares of the company's stock, valued at $990,956.40. This trade represents a 20.90% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have acquired a total of 100,755 shares of company stock valued at $1,865,332 over the last quarter. Insiders own 1.44% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. 1900 Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Simmons First National by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. 1900 Wealth Management LLC now owns 47,560 shares of the bank's stock valued at $902,000 after purchasing an additional 497 shares during the period. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Simmons First National by 32.0% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 2,658 shares of the bank's stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 644 shares during the period. Mustard Seed Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Simmons First National by 1.9% during the first quarter. Mustard Seed Financial LLC now owns 34,402 shares of the bank's stock valued at $706,000 after acquiring an additional 656 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its holdings in shares of Simmons First National by 0.7% during the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 115,982 shares of the bank's stock valued at $2,199,000 after acquiring an additional 787 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Simmons First National by 24.3% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,260 shares of the bank's stock valued at $82,000 after acquiring an additional 834 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.58% of the company's stock.

Simmons First National Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of Simmons First National stock opened at $19.19 on Thursday. Simmons First National has a 1-year low of $17.20 and a 1-year high of $25.95. The business has a 50-day moving average of $19.93 and a 200-day moving average of $19.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The company has a market capitalization of $2.78 billion, a PE ratio of 15.11 and a beta of 0.94.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 17th. The bank reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $217.21 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.33 EPS. Simmons First National's quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Simmons First National will post 1.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Simmons First National Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th were issued a $0.2125 dividend. This represents a $0.85 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 15th. Simmons First National's payout ratio is currently 66.93%.

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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