Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) Raised to Strong-Buy at Baird R W

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) was upgraded by research analysts at Baird R W from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on the company. National Bankshares set a $22.00 price objective on Simmons First National in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Simmons First National from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 13th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Simmons First National in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. They set a “positive” rating and a $22.00 price objective on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on shares of Simmons First National from $22.00 to $21.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Simmons First National in a research note on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $22.33.

Simmons First National Price Performance

NASDAQ:SFNC opened at $17.45 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $2.53 billion, a PE ratio of -5.96 and a beta of 0.97. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $18.60 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $19.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. Simmons First National has a 12 month low of $17.00 and a 12 month high of $25.52.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 16th. The bank reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.47 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $232.54 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $103.26 million. Simmons First National had a negative net margin of 29.70% and a positive return on equity of 5.84%. The business’s revenue was up 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.37 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Simmons First National will post 1.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Simmons First National

In other Simmons First National news, Director Steven A. Cosse purchased 8,603 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 30th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $17.44 per share, with a total value of $150,036.32. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 113,652 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,982,090.88. This represents a 8.19% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP David W. Garner acquired 3,000 shares of Simmons First National stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 22nd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $17.66 per share, for a total transaction of $52,980.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the executive vice president owned 72,345 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,277,612.70. The trade was a 4.33% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.44% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Simmons First National

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in 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. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in shares of Simmons First National by 42.5% in the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 2,175 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 649 shares during the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its position in shares of Simmons First National by 32.0% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 2,658 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 644 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Simmons First National by 35.2% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,426 shares of the bank’s stock worth $65,000 after acquiring an additional 892 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SouthState Corp acquired a new position in Simmons First National during the first quarter valued at approximately $71,000. 27.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Simmons First National Company Profile

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.