Simmons First National (SFNC) to Release Quarterly Earnings on Wednesday

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) is set to announce its earnings results before the market opens on Wednesday, April 24th. Analysts expect Simmons First National to post earnings of $0.32 per share for the quarter. Parties that are interested in registering for the company’s conference call can do so using this link.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 24th. The bank reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $197.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $204.25 million. Simmons First National had a net margin of 12.82% and a return on equity of 6.19%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 15.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.64 EPS. On average, analysts expect Simmons First National to post $1 EPS for the current fiscal year and $2 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Simmons First National Trading Down 1.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ SFNC opened at $17.49 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $18.78 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $17.92. Simmons First National has a 52-week low of $13.36 and a 52-week high of $20.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.73 and a beta of 0.87.

Simmons First National Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were given a dividend of $0.21 per share. This is a positive change from Simmons First National’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. Simmons First National’s dividend payout ratio is currently 60.87%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Simmons First National

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SFNC. US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in shares of Simmons First National by 371.9% in the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,897 shares of the bank’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 1,495 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in Simmons First National in the 2nd quarter worth about $153,000. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. increased its stake in shares of Simmons First National by 11.2% in the second quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 10,435 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $180,000 after purchasing an additional 1,049 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Simmons First National by 55.7% during the second quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 10,510 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $181,000 after buying an additional 3,759 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Profund Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Simmons First National by 21.0% during the first quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 11,954 shares of the bank’s stock worth $209,000 after buying an additional 2,071 shares during the period. 27.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on SFNC. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Simmons First National from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Simmons First National from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 2nd.

About Simmons First National

Simmons First National Corporation operates as the holding company for Simmons Bank that provides banking and other financial products and services to individuals and businesses. The company offers checking, savings, and time deposits; consumer, real estate, and commercial loans; agricultural finance, equipment, and small business administration lending; trust and fiduciary services; credit cards; investment management products; treasury management; insurance products; and securities and investment services.