Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) Upgraded at Baird R W

Baird R W upgraded shares of Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Simmons First National in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. They set a “positive” rating and a $22.00 price target for the company. Zacks Research downgraded Simmons First National from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 13th. National Bankshares set a $22.00 target price on Simmons First National in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Wall Street Zen lowered Simmons First National from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of Simmons First National from $22.00 to $21.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Simmons First National has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $22.33.

Simmons First National Stock Performance

SFNC opened at $18.11 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $18.55 and a two-hundred day moving average of $19.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.62 billion, a PE ratio of -6.18 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. Simmons First National has a 12-month low of $17.00 and a 12-month high of $25.52.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 16th. The bank reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.47 by ($0.01). Simmons First National had a negative net margin of 29.70% and a positive return on equity of 5.84%. The company had revenue of $232.54 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $103.26 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.37 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Simmons First National will post 1.66 EPS for the current year.

Simmons First National Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be issued a $0.2125 dividend. This represents a $0.85 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 15th. Simmons First National’s payout ratio is currently -29.01%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Simmons First National

In other Simmons First National news, EVP David W. Garner acquired 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 22nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $17.66 per share, for a total transaction of $52,980.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 72,345 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,277,612.70. This represents a 4.33% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Steven A. Cosse bought 8,603 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 30th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $17.44 per share, with a total value of $150,036.32. Following the transaction, the director owned 113,652 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,982,090.88. The trade was a 8.19% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 1.44% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Simmons First National

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of SFNC. 1900 Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Simmons First National by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. 1900 Wealth Management LLC now owns 47,560 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $902,000 after purchasing an additional 497 shares during the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Simmons First National by 32.0% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 2,658 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 644 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 649 shares during the period. Mustard Seed Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Simmons First National by 1.9% during the first quarter. Mustard Seed Financial LLC now owns 34,402 shares of the bank’s stock worth $706,000 after purchasing an additional 656 shares during the last quarter. Finally, California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its position in Simmons First National by 0.7% during the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 115,982 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,199,000 after buying an additional 787 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.58% of the company’s stock.

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.