Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ:SFNC) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ:SFNC) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nine brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $22.1429.

A number of research analysts have weighed in on SFNC shares. DA Davidson increased their price target 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. Zacks Research downgraded Simmons First National from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. National Bank Financial set a $21.00 target price on Simmons First National in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Raymond James Financial raised Simmons First National from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $23.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Simmons First National from $23.00 to $21.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday.

Simmons First National Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ SFNC opened at $19.46 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $20.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $19.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The company has a market cap of $2.82 billion, a PE ratio of -7.03 and a beta of 0.88. Simmons First National has a 12 month low of $17.00 and a 12 month high of $22.17.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 20th. The bank reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.49 by $0.05. Simmons First National had a negative net margin of 27.83% and a positive return on equity of 6.73%. The business had revenue of $249.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $238.68 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.39 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 19.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Simmons First National will post 1.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Simmons First National declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, February 17th that authorizes the company to repurchase $175.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the bank to buy up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Simmons First National Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th were given a $0.215 dividend. This is a boost from Simmons First National’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.86 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. Simmons First National’s dividend payout ratio is -31.05%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its position in Simmons First National by 35.6% during the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,884 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 495 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Simmons First National by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 19,079 shares of the bank’s stock worth $360,000 after purchasing an additional 495 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund raised its holdings in shares of Simmons First National by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 33,075 shares of the bank’s stock worth $623,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Simmons First National by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 21,065 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $397,000 after purchasing an additional 513 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Osaic Holdings Inc. lifted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 644 shares in the last quarter. 27.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Simmons First National

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.