Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ:SFNC) Receives $22.43 Average Price Target from Analysts

Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ:SFNC) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nine brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $22.4286.

SFNC has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Simmons First National from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Zacks Research upgraded Simmons First National from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Simmons First National in a report on Monday, December 29th. National Bank Financial set a $21.00 price target on Simmons First National in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, DA Davidson upped their price target on shares of Simmons First National from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd.

Simmons First National Stock Performance

NASDAQ SFNC opened at $19.25 on Friday. Simmons First National has a twelve month low of $17.00 and a twelve month high of $22.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The stock has a market cap of $2.79 billion, a P/E ratio of -6.95 and a beta of 0.91. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $20.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $19.47.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 20th. The bank reported $0.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.49 by $0.05. Simmons First National had a positive return on equity of 6.73% and a negative net margin of 27.83%.The company had revenue of $249.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $238.68 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.39 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 19.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Simmons First National will post 1.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Simmons First National Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.215 per share. This represents a $0.86 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.5%. This is an increase from Simmons First National’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. Simmons First National’s payout ratio is currently -30.69%.

Simmons First National declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, February 17th that authorizes the company to repurchase $175.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the bank to buy up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Simmons First National

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SFNC. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its position in shares of Simmons First National by 35.6% during the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,884 shares of the bank’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 495 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Simmons First National by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 19,079 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $360,000 after acquiring an additional 495 shares during the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund grew its holdings in Simmons First National by 1.5% during the 4th 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 period. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Simmons First National by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 21,065 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $397,000 after acquiring an additional 513 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its position in shares of Simmons First National by 32.0% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 2,658 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 644 shares during the last quarter. 27.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Simmons First National Company Profile

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.