Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ:SFNC) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Simmons First National Corporation is rated as a "Moderate Buy" by five analysts, with an average price target of $22.75 per share.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.2125 per share, which corresponds to an annualized yield of 4.2%.
• In the second quarter, Simmons First National reported earnings of $0.44 per share, surpassing estimates, with revenue growth of 8.6% compared to the same period last year.

Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ:SFNC - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the five ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three equities 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 twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $22.75.

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

Simmons First National Stock Down 0.9%

Simmons First National stock opened at $20.48 on Friday. Simmons First National has a twelve month low of $17.20 and a twelve month high of $25.95. 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 firm has a market cap of $2.96 billion, a PE ratio of 16.13 and a beta of 0.97. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $20.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $19.56.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $214.18 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $217.21 million. Simmons First National had a return on equity of 5.23% and a net margin of 11.19%.Simmons First National's quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.33 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Simmons First National will post 1.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Simmons First National Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.2125 per share. This represents a $0.85 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. Simmons First National's dividend payout ratio is presently 66.93%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Russell William Teubner purchased 9,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 7th. The stock was bought at an average price of $18.62 per share, for a total transaction of $171,304.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 53,220 shares in the company, valued at $990,956.40. The trade was a 20.90% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Steenberg Christopher J. Van acquired 13,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 23rd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $18.50 per share, for a total transaction of $249,750.00. Following the acquisition, the chief operating officer owned 13,500 shares in the company, valued at $249,750. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have acquired 100,755 shares of company stock valued at $1,865,332. 1.44% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. raised its holdings in Simmons First National by 7.3% in the 2nd quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 3,737,214 shares of the bank's stock worth $70,858,000 after acquiring an additional 254,067 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Simmons First National by 0.3% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,072,538 shares of the bank's stock worth $58,261,000 after purchasing an additional 9,956 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Simmons First National by 14.0% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,731,794 shares of the bank's stock worth $32,835,000 after purchasing an additional 212,988 shares during the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Simmons First National by 1,179.6% during the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 969,027 shares of the bank's stock worth $19,894,000 after purchasing an additional 893,298 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd grew its holdings in Simmons First National by 41.7% in the 2nd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 922,284 shares of the bank's stock valued at $17,487,000 after buying an additional 271,257 shares during the last quarter. 27.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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