Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ:SFNC) Stock Now Rated “Moderate Buy” by Wall Street Analysts

Shares of Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ:SFNC) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nine ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have issued a hold recommendation, four have assigned a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $25.69.

Several brokerages recently issued reports on SFNC. Zacks Research upgraded Simmons First National from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 19th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Simmons First National from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 19th. DA Davidson upped their target price on Simmons First National from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on Simmons First National from $26.00 to $25.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Simmons First National in a report on Monday, October 19th.

Simmons First National Stock Performance

Shares of SFNC opened at $23.34 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $22.82 and its 200 day moving average price is $21.63. Simmons First National has a 52 week low of $17.00 and a 52 week high of $24.32. The company has a market capitalization of $3.37 billion, a PE ratio of 11.37 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 0.95.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 15th. The bank reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $251.17 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $254.03 million. Simmons First National had a net margin of 18.38% and a return on equity of 8.73%. The company’s revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.46 EPS. Research analysts expect that Simmons First National will post 2.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Simmons First National Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th were issued a $0.2150 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $0.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.7%. Simmons First National’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.04%.

Institutional Trading of Simmons First National

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in Simmons First National by 3.9% in the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,591,542 shares of the bank’s stock worth $149,298,000 after acquiring an additional 245,024 shares in the last quarter. Leeward Investments LLC MA acquired a new stake in shares of Simmons First National in the 1st quarter valued at $15,744,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Simmons First National by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 703,543 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $13,684,000 after purchasing an additional 13,852 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in Simmons First National by 33.5% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 625,391 shares of the bank’s stock worth $12,164,000 after purchasing an additional 157,061 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in Simmons First National by 24.7% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 624,613 shares of the bank’s stock worth $12,149,000 after purchasing an additional 123,732 shares in 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 is a financial holding company headquartered in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Its principal subsidiary, Simmons Bank, provides banking and financial services to individuals, families, businesses and institutions.

The bank offers deposit accounts, consumer and commercial lending, residential and commercial real estate financing, treasury and cash-management services, credit cards, and online and mobile banking. It also provides wealth management, trust, investment and insurance services through specialized business lines.

Founded in 1903, Simmons has expanded from its Arkansas roots into a regional banking franchise serving customers through branches and financial centers across Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas.