Weiss Ratings Reiterates "Hold (C)" Rating for Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC)

Key Points

• Weiss Ratings has reaffirmed a "Hold (C)" rating for Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC), underscoring a cautious outlook for the stock.
• Several research firms recently increased their target prices for SFNC, with DA Davidson raising it from $21.00 to $23.00, while Zacks Research upgraded the stock to a "strong-buy" rating.
• Insider buying is notable, with COO Christopher J. Van Steenberg acquiring 13,500 shares at an average price of $18.50 each, reflecting confidence in the company's future prospects.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "hold (c)" rating reissued by equities research analysts at Weiss Ratings in a research note issued on Wednesday,Weiss Ratings reports.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on SFNC. DA Davidson boosted 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. 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. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Simmons First National from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of Simmons First National from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $22.75.

Simmons First National Stock Down 1.0%

SFNC opened at $19.19 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The stock has a market cap of $2.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.11 and a beta of 0.94. Simmons First National has a twelve month low of $17.20 and a twelve month high of $25.95. The company's 50-day moving average price is $19.93 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $19.43.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $214.18 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $217.21 million. Simmons First National had a net margin of 11.19% and a return on equity of 5.23%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.33 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Simmons First National will post 1.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Simmons First National

In other news, COO Steenberg Christopher J. Van bought 13,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 23rd. The shares were acquired at an average price 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. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Marty Casteel bought 5,400 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 23rd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $18.50 per share, for a total transaction of $99,900.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 213,901 shares in the company, valued at $3,957,168.50. This trade represents a 2.59% 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 worth $1,865,332 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.44% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Simmons First National

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of SFNC. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Simmons First National by 2,047.9% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 52,023 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,068,000 after acquiring an additional 49,601 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Simmons First National in the 1st quarter worth $1,086,000. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC bought a new position in shares of Simmons First National in the 1st quarter worth $298,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its holdings in shares of Simmons First National by 1,263.3% in the 1st quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 7,621 shares of the bank's stock worth $156,000 after buying an additional 7,062 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sowell Financial Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Simmons First National by 7.7% in the 1st quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC now owns 14,738 shares of the bank's stock worth $303,000 after buying an additional 1,056 shares during the last quarter. 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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