Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ:SFNC) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ:SFNC) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nine analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, two have issued a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $24.50.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $25.00 price target on shares of Simmons First National in a report on Friday, July 17th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Simmons First National in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $23.00 target price on shares of Simmons First National in a research report on Friday, July 17th. 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated a “positive” rating on shares of Simmons First National in a research report on Monday, June 29th.

Simmons First National Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ SFNC opened at $24.03 on Thursday. Simmons First National has a 12-month low of $17.00 and a 12-month high of $24.25. The company has a market cap of $3.49 billion, a PE ratio of -9.50 and a beta of 0.91. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $22.57 and a 200-day simple moving average of $21.21. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 16th. The bank reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.53 by ($0.03). Simmons First National had a negative net margin of 24.64% and a positive return on equity of 8.32%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.44 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 16.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Simmons First National will post 2.05 EPS for the current year.

Simmons First National Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a dividend of $0.215 per share. This represents a $0.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. Simmons First National’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -33.99%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Simmons First National

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Simmons First National by 156.0% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,518 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 925 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Simmons First National by 197.5% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,663 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 1,104 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Simmons First National by 35.6% in the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,884 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 495 shares during the period. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in Simmons First National by 32.0% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 2,658 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 644 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Systematic Financial Management LP bought a new position in Simmons First National during the fourth quarter valued at about $66,000. 27.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.