Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ:SFNC) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts rate Simmons First National “Moderate Buy”, with two buy ratings, two strong-buy ratings and five holds. The average 12-month price target is $24.50, slightly above the reported $24.03 share price.
• Simmons First National reported quarterly EPS of $0.50, missing the $0.53 consensus estimate, although revenue increased 16.1% year over year. Analysts expect full-year EPS of approximately $2.05.
• The company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.215, or $0.86 annually, representing a 3.6% yield. Institutional investors own 27.58% of the company, while several funds recently increased their positions.

Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ:SFNC - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the nine ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, two have given a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $24.50.

A number of brokerages have issued reports on SFNC. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Simmons First National from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Stephens raised their price target on shares of Simmons First National from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Raymond James Financial restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $25.00 price target on shares of Simmons First National in a research note on Friday, July 17th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $23.00 price target on shares of Simmons First National in a report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated a "positive" rating on shares of Simmons First National in a research note on Monday, June 29th.

Simmons First National Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of Simmons First National stock opened at $24.03 on Thursday. Simmons First National has a 1-year low of $17.00 and a 1-year high of $24.25. The company has a market capitalization of $3.49 billion, a PE ratio of -9.50 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.92. The business has a 50-day moving average of $22.57 and a 200-day moving average of $21.21.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 16th. The bank reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.53 by ($0.03). Simmons First National had a positive return on equity of 8.32% and a negative net margin of 24.64%.The firm's revenue was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.44 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Simmons First National will post 2.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Simmons First National Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a $0.215 dividend. This represents a $0.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. Simmons First National's dividend payout ratio is -33.99%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Simmons First National

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in Simmons First National by 35.6% in the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,884 shares of the bank's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 495 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Simmons First National by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 19,079 shares of the bank's stock worth $360,000 after acquiring an additional 495 shares during the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund grew its position in shares of Simmons First National by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 33,075 shares of the bank's stock worth $623,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Simmons First National by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 21,065 shares of the bank's stock worth $397,000 after acquiring an additional 513 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Simmons First National by 31.9% in the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,339 shares of the bank's stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 566 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 27.58% of the company's stock.

About Simmons First National

Simmons First National Corporation NASDAQ: SFNC is a bank holding company headquartered in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Through its primary operating subsidiary, Simmons Bank, the company maintains a network of more than 200 branches across Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Mississippi, Texas, Oklahoma and North Carolina. Simmons First National offers a full suite of financial services to individuals, small businesses and commercial clients, emphasizing relationship-driven community banking.

The company's core business activities span deposit-taking, lending and payment services.

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