Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) Rating Lowered to Sell at StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC – Get Rating) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report released on Saturday.

Separately, Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on Simmons First National from $28.00 to $26.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 25th.

Simmons First National Price Performance

NASDAQ:SFNC traded down $1.21 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $18.09. 2,541,276 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 611,339. The firm has a market cap of $2.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.74 and a beta of 0.84. Simmons First National has a 52 week low of $16.95 and a 52 week high of $28.60. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $21.91 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $22.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC – Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 24th. The bank reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.63 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $309.23 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $244.05 million. Simmons First National had a return on equity of 9.40% and a net margin of 24.85%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.52 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Simmons First National will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Simmons First National Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 14th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.42%. This is a positive change from Simmons First National’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. Simmons First National’s payout ratio is 38.65%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Dean O. Bass sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.96, for a total value of $229,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 139,975 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,213,826. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, Director Dean O. Bass sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.93, for a total transaction of $171,975.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 159,975 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,668,226.75. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Dean O. Bass sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.96, for a total value of $229,600.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 139,975 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,213,826. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.76% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Simmons First National

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Simmons First National by 36.6% during the 4th quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 21,322 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $463,000 after acquiring an additional 5,711 shares during the period. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky raised its position in Simmons First National by 13.0% during the 4th quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 39,352 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $849,000 after purchasing an additional 4,534 shares during the last quarter. Retirement Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Simmons First National during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $777,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC bought a new position in Simmons First National during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $678,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc raised its position in Simmons First National by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 365,284 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $7,883,000 after purchasing an additional 4,408 shares during the last quarter. 13.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Simmons First National

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Simmons First National Corp. is a holding company, which engages in the provision of banking and other financial products and services to individual and corporate customers. The company was founded on March 23, 1903 and is headquartered in Pine Bluff, AR.