Simmons First National Co. (NASDAQ:SFNC) Shares Sold by LSV Asset Management

LSV Asset Management lowered its position in shares of Simmons First National Co. (NASDAQ:SFNC) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 619,700 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 10,900 shares during the quarter. LSV Asset Management’s holdings in Simmons First National were worth $12,295,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its stake in Simmons First National by 0.6% during the third quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 214,262 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $3,634,000 after purchasing an additional 1,187 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its position in shares of Simmons First National by 35.0% during the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 21,968 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $373,000 after acquiring an additional 5,697 shares during the last quarter. Strs Ohio boosted its stake in shares of Simmons First National by 110.0% during the 3rd quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 42,200 shares of the bank’s stock worth $715,000 after acquiring an additional 22,100 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Simmons First National by 5.7% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 55,729 shares of the bank’s stock worth $945,000 after acquiring an additional 3,023 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Simmons First National during the third quarter worth $306,000. 27.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Simmons First National from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of Simmons First National from $21.00 to $20.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Simmons First National from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. Finally, Stephens dropped their price target on shares of Simmons First National from $22.00 to $21.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and three have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Simmons First National has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $21.00.

Simmons First National Price Performance

Shares of SFNC opened at $17.83 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.77. The firm has a market cap of $2.23 billion, a PE ratio of 13.41 and a beta of 0.90. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $18.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $18.08. Simmons First National Co. has a twelve month low of $13.36 and a twelve month high of $20.82.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The bank reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32. The firm had revenue of $195.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $202.35 million. Simmons First National had a net margin of 11.97% and a return on equity of 5.94%. Simmons First National’s revenue for the quarter was down 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.37 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Simmons First National Co. will post 1.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Simmons First National Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be given a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 14th. Simmons First National’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Simmons First National news, EVP George A. Makris III sold 15,625 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.23, for a total value of $269,218.75. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 39,707 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $684,151.61. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 1.91% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Simmons First National Company Profile

Simmons First National Corporation operates as the holding company for Simmons Bank that provides banking and other financial products and services to individuals and businesses. The company offers checking, savings, and time deposits; consumer, real estate, and commercial loans; agricultural finance, equipment, and small business administration lending; trust and fiduciary services; credit cards; investment management products; treasury management; insurance products; and securities and investment services.