Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Trims Stock Holdings in Home BancShares, Inc. $HOMB

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lessened its stake in shares of Home BancShares, Inc. (NYSE:HOMB) by 28.4% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 51,180 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 20,328 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Home BancShares were worth $1,448,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Everhart Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Home BancShares by 6.0% in the third quarter. Everhart Financial Group Inc. now owns 26,522 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $751,000 after buying an additional 1,496 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Home BancShares by 6.0% during the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 86,564 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,450,000 after purchasing an additional 4,884 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System grew its position in shares of Home BancShares by 0.8% in the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 55,511 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,571,000 after purchasing an additional 463 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC lifted its position in Home BancShares by 92.6% during the third quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 216,728 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,133,000 after buying an additional 104,212 shares during the period. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund boosted its stake in Home BancShares by 6.0% in the 3rd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 61,827 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,750,000 after buying an additional 3,500 shares during the last quarter. 67.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Home BancShares Stock Performance

Home BancShares stock opened at $29.46 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 0.91. Home BancShares, Inc. has a one year low of $24.22 and a one year high of $30.83. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $28.75 and its 200 day moving average price is $28.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.79 billion, a PE ratio of 12.22 and a beta of 0.80.

Home BancShares (NYSE:HOMB) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 14th. The financial services provider reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60. The company had revenue of $282.09 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $272.48 million. Home BancShares had a net margin of 32.18% and a return on equity of 11.16%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.50 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Home BancShares, Inc. will post 2.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Home BancShares Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 11th will be given a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 11th. Home BancShares’s dividend payout ratio is presently 34.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Home BancShares

In other news, Director Donna Townsell sold 5,563 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.38, for a total transaction of $157,877.94. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 218,460 shares in the company, valued at $6,199,894.80. This trade represents a 2.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 6.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on HOMB shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Home BancShares in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $31.00 target price on Home BancShares in a report on Monday, January 12th. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $35.00 price target (up from $34.00) on shares of Home BancShares in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Zacks Research upgraded Home BancShares from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 19th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Home BancShares from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $32.60.

Home BancShares Profile

Home BancShares, Inc is a bank holding company based in Conway, Arkansas, operating through its primary subsidiary, Home Bank, National Association. Founded in March 1999, the company provides a comprehensive suite of banking services to individuals, small and middle-market businesses, and public entities. These services encompass deposit accounts, consumer and commercial lending, mortgage origination and servicing, treasury management, and wealth management solutions.

The company’s core products include checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, and money market accounts, as well as a variety of loan offerings such as commercial real estate financing, equipment loans, agricultural lending, and residential mortgages.