Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ:SFNC) Plans $0.22 Quarterly Dividend

Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ:SFNC) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, May 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a dividend of 0.215 per share by the bank on Wednesday, July 1st. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th.

Simmons First National has increased its dividend by an average of 0.0%per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend every year for the last 14 years. Simmons First National has a payout ratio of 46.0% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect Simmons First National to earn $2.19 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.86 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 39.3%.

Simmons First National Stock Performance

Shares of SFNC stock opened at $21.48 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $20.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $19.89. Simmons First National has a 52 week low of $17.00 and a 52 week high of $22.17. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The company has a market cap of $3.12 billion, a PE ratio of -8.39 and a beta of 0.92.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The bank reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.47. Simmons First National had a negative net margin of 25.44% and a positive return on equity of 7.81%. The business had revenue of $241.37 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $243.02 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.26 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Simmons First National will post 2.08 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on SFNC. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Simmons First National from $23.00 to $21.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Stephens raised their target price on shares of Simmons First National from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $21.00 target price on shares of Simmons First National in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Simmons First National from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Simmons First National from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $22.00.

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.