Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) Shares Pass Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ:SFNC) shares crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $19.33 and traded as high as $19.53. Simmons First National shares last traded at $19.34, with a volume of 1,224,192 shares traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Raymond James Financial raised shares of Simmons First National from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $23.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research upgraded Simmons First National from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Simmons First National from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on Simmons First National from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, National Bank Financial set a $21.00 price target on shares of Simmons First National in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $22.43.

Simmons First National Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $2.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.98 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $20.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $19.33.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 20th. The bank reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.05. Simmons First National had a positive return on equity of 6.73% and a negative net margin of 27.83%.The firm had revenue of $249.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $238.68 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.39 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 19.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Simmons First National Corporation will post 1.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Simmons First National Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a $0.215 dividend. This is an increase from Simmons First National’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $0.86 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.4%. Simmons First National’s payout ratio is presently -31.05%.

Simmons First National announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, February 17th that authorizes the company to repurchase $175.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the bank to repurchase up to 5.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Simmons First National

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SFNC. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Simmons First National by 197.5% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,663 shares of the bank’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 1,104 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Simmons First National by 35.6% in the 4th 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. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in Simmons First National by 42.5% during the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 2,175 shares of the bank’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 649 shares in the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its holdings in Simmons First National by 32.0% during 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. Finally, Systematic Financial Management LP purchased a new position in Simmons First National during the 4th quarter valued at about $66,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.58% of the company’s stock.

Simmons First National Company Profile

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.