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

Key Points

• Simmons First National Corporation has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from five analysts, with an average 1-year target price of $22.75.
• The bank reported earnings of $0.44 per share, surpassing estimates and showing an 8.6% year-over-year revenue increase for the last quarter.
• Insider buying activity includes COO purchasing 13,500 shares at an average price of $18.50, indicating confidence in the company's future performance.

Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ:SFNC - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the five ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $22.75.

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on SFNC shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on 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 upped their price target on Simmons First National from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Zacks Research upgraded Simmons First National from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Simmons First National from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, July 18th.

Simmons First National Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:SFNC traded down $0.0450 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $19.9250. 160,728 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 847,359. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80. Simmons First National has a 1-year low of $17.20 and a 1-year high of $25.95. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $19.40 and a two-hundred day moving average of $19.78. The firm has a market cap of $2.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.70 and a beta of 0.95.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The bank reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $214.18 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $217.21 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.33 earnings per share. Simmons First National's revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Simmons First National will post 1.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Simmons First National

In related news, COO Steenberg Christopher J. Van purchased 13,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $18.50 per share, for a total transaction of $249,750.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief operating officer owned 13,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at $249,750. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Russell William Teubner purchased 9,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 7th. The shares were bought at an average price of $18.62 per share, with a total value of $171,304.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 53,220 shares of the company's stock, valued at $990,956.40. This represents a 20.90% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have purchased a total of 100,755 shares of company stock valued at $1,865,332 in the last three months. Insiders own 1.91% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of SFNC. LPL Financial LLC grew its stake in Simmons First National by 14.1% in the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 32,345 shares of the bank's stock valued at $717,000 after purchasing an additional 4,007 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its stake in Simmons First National by 16.2% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 94,366 shares of the bank's stock valued at $2,093,000 after purchasing an additional 13,174 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Simmons First National by 692.4% in the 4th quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 221,855 shares of the bank's stock valued at $4,921,000 after purchasing an additional 193,856 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC bought a new position in Simmons First National in the 4th quarter valued at $335,000. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can grew its stake in Simmons First National by 14.1% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 14,867 shares of the bank's stock valued at $330,000 after purchasing an additional 1,838 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 27.58% of the company's stock.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.