Capitolis Liquid Global Markets LLC Buys New Stake in Simmons First National Corporation $SFNC

Capitolis Liquid Global Markets LLC bought a new position in Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ:SFNC) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 288,400 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $5,529,000. Capitolis Liquid Global Markets LLC owned 0.20% of Simmons First National at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its stake in Simmons First National by 52.0% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 146,633 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,811,000 after purchasing an additional 50,145 shares during the period. Wesbanco Bank Inc. bought a new position in Simmons First National in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,810,000. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co bought a new position in Simmons First National in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $861,000. Savant Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Simmons First National during the second quarter worth approximately $279,000. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Simmons First National by 396.5% during the third quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 164,577 shares of the bank’s stock worth $3,155,000 after buying an additional 131,431 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.58% of the company’s stock.

Simmons First National Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SFNC opened at $18.61 on Monday. Simmons First National Corporation has a 1-year low of $17.00 and a 1-year high of $22.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.70 billion, a PE ratio of -6.72 and a beta of 0.91. The business’s 50 day moving average is $20.23 and its 200-day moving average is $19.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 20th. The bank reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $249.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $238.68 million. Simmons First National had a positive return on equity of 6.73% and a negative net margin of 27.83%.Simmons First National’s revenue was up 19.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.39 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Simmons First National Corporation will post 1.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Simmons First National declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, February 17th that allows the company to buyback $175.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the bank to repurchase up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Simmons First National Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a $0.215 dividend. This is a boost from Simmons First National’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $0.86 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.6%. Simmons First National’s payout ratio is presently -31.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Piper Sandler upgraded shares of Simmons First National from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. DA Davidson upped 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 Thursday, January 22nd. Robert W. Baird raised shares of Simmons First National from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Simmons First National from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $23.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, National Bank Financial set a $21.00 price objective on shares of Simmons First National in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $22.43.

About Simmons First National

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.