Home BancShares, Inc. (NYSE:HOMB) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Home BancShares, Inc. (NYSE:HOMB) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $32.60.

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on HOMB. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $35.00 target price (up previously from $34.00) on shares of Home BancShares in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Home BancShares from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $31.00 target price on shares of Home BancShares in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Home BancShares in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Home BancShares from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 19th.

Home BancShares Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of HOMB opened at $28.52 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.90. Home BancShares has a 1-year low of $24.22 and a 1-year high of $31.27. The stock has a market cap of $5.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.83 and a beta of 0.78. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $28.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of $28.35.

Home BancShares (NYSE:HOMB) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 14th. The financial services provider reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60. The firm had revenue of $282.09 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $272.48 million. Home BancShares had a return on equity of 11.16% and a net margin of 32.18%.Home BancShares’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.50 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Home BancShares will post 2.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Home BancShares Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 11th. Home BancShares’s dividend payout ratio is 34.85%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Home BancShares during the 2nd quarter worth $64,545,000. First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in Home BancShares by 52.5% in the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,230,065 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $63,111,000 after purchasing an additional 767,844 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in Home BancShares by 14.7% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,876,022 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $138,772,000 after buying an additional 626,655 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Home BancShares by 82.9% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,120,706 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $31,716,000 after buying an additional 508,127 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Home BancShares during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $12,931,000. 67.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Home BancShares Company 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.