Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) Given New $23.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) had its target price upped by Morgan Stanley from $22.00 to $23.00 in a research note published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an equal weight rating on the bank’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on SFNC. Wall Street Zen lowered Simmons First National from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Sunday, January 18th. National Bankshares set a $21.00 price objective on shares of Simmons First National in a research report on Wednesday. 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. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of Simmons First National from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on shares of Simmons First National from $22.00 to $21.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $22.43.

Simmons First National Trading Up 0.5%

Simmons First National stock opened at $21.10 on Thursday. Simmons First National has a 12 month low of $17.00 and a 12 month high of $23.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The stock has a market cap of $3.05 billion, a P/E ratio of -7.62 and a beta of 0.89. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $18.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $19.25.

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, topping the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $249.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $238.68 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.39 earnings per share. Simmons First National’s quarterly revenue was up 19.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Simmons First National will post 1.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Simmons First National Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th were given a $0.2125 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $0.85 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.0%. Simmons First National’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -29.01%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Steven A. Cosse acquired 8,603 shares of the firm’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 acquisition, the director owned 113,652 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,982,090.88. This represents a 8.19% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.44% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of SFNC. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 1,104 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its position in Simmons First National by 42.5% in the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 2,175 shares of the bank’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 649 shares during the period. Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its position in Simmons First National by 32.0% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 2,658 shares of the bank’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 644 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Simmons First National by 35.2% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,426 shares of the bank’s stock worth $65,000 after buying an additional 892 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd boosted its position in shares of Simmons First National by 68.4% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 5,938 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $114,000 after acquiring an additional 2,412 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.58% of the company’s stock.

Simmons First National News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Simmons First National this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts at Morgan Stanley raised their price target to $23 and kept an “equal weight” rating — about a 9% upside to the current level, signaling improved analyst confidence. Morgan Stanley price-target update (Benzinga)
• Positive Sentiment: DA Davidson also bumped its price target to $23 with a “neutral” rating, similarly implying roughly 9% upside and reinforcing upward pressure from sell-side revisions. DA Davidson price-target update (Benzinga) TickerReport coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat expectations: management highlighted record loan production, revenue and margin strength (helping EPS exceed consensus). Those fundamentals are the primary bullish catalyst for the stock today. Earnings call highlights (Yahoo Finance)
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple outlets reported Q4 beats and strong margin growth, reinforcing investor focus on improving profitability and top-line momentum. Quarterly results coverage (TalkBusiness)
• Neutral Sentiment: Management’s 2026 outlook targets low- to mid-single-digit loan growth and stable net interest margin while prioritizing core deposits — a conservative, steady-growth plan that supports stability but isn’t aggressive upside guidance. 2026 guidance summary (MSN)
• Neutral Sentiment: Full earnings presentation and call transcript are available for detail on charge-offs, margin drivers and capital deployment — useful for investors digging into sustainability of the beat. Earnings transcript (Seeking Alpha) Presentation (Seeking Alpha)

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.