Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ:SFNC) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ:SFNC) have been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the seven analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $22.3333.

A number of research firms have weighed in on SFNC. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Simmons First National in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. They issued a “positive” rating and a $22.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Simmons First National in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Simmons First National from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 13th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Simmons First National from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, July 18th. Finally, National Bankshares set a $22.00 price objective on shares of Simmons First National in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th.

Insider Activity at Simmons First National

In other Simmons First National news, EVP David W. Garner acquired 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 22nd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $17.66 per share, with a total value of $52,980.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 72,345 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,277,612.70. This represents a 4.33% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Steven A. Cosse bought 8,603 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 30th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $17.44 per share, for a total transaction of $150,036.32. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 113,652 shares in the company, valued at $1,982,090.88. The trade was a 8.19% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 1.91% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Simmons First National

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of SFNC. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Simmons First National by 119.9% in the first quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 3,483,147 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $71,509,000 after purchasing an additional 1,899,407 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Simmons First National by 12.0% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,419,609 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $314,764,000 after purchasing an additional 1,763,161 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Simmons First National by 1,179.6% in the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 969,027 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $19,894,000 after buying an additional 893,298 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in Simmons First National by 140.6% in the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,518,806 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $31,181,000 after buying an additional 887,603 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC bought a new position in Simmons First National during the 1st quarter worth $6,065,000. 27.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Simmons First National Stock Up 2.6%

Shares of SFNC stock opened at $17.91 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $19.14 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $19.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. Simmons First National has a 1 year low of $17.00 and a 1 year high of $25.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.59 billion, a P/E ratio of -6.11 and a beta of 0.97.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 16th. The bank reported $0.46 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.47 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $232.54 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $103.26 million. Simmons First National had a positive return on equity of 5.84% and a negative net margin of 29.70%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.37 earnings per share. On average, equities 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th were given a dividend of $0.2125 per share. This represents a $0.85 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 15th. Simmons First National’s payout ratio is -29.01%.

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.