Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) Reaches New 52-Week High – Here’s What Happened

Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ:SFNC) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $23.19 and last traded at $23.1020, with a volume of 252560 shares. The stock had previously closed at $22.65.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on SFNC. Morgan Stanley reiterated a “positive” rating on shares of Simmons First National in a report on Monday. DA Davidson restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $21.00 target price on shares of Simmons First National in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Zacks Research lowered Simmons First National from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. National Bank Financial set a $24.00 price target on Simmons First National in a report on Monday. Finally, Stephens raised their price objective on Simmons First National from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Simmons First National has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $23.00.

Simmons First National Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $21.64 and a 200 day moving average price of $20.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.31 billion, a PE ratio of -8.92 and a beta of 0.90.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The bank reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.47. Simmons First National had a positive return on equity of 7.81% and a negative net margin of 25.44%.The firm had revenue of $241.37 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $243.02 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.26 EPS. Simmons First National’s revenue was up 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Simmons First National Corporation will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Simmons First National Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were given a dividend of $0.215 per share. This represents a $0.86 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. Simmons First National’s dividend payout ratio is currently -33.59%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Simmons First National by 156.0% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,518 shares of the bank’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 925 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake 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 worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 1,104 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of Simmons First National by 35.6% in the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,884 shares of the bank’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 495 shares in the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its position 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 worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 644 shares during the period. Finally, Systematic Financial Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Simmons First National during the fourth quarter worth $66,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.58% of the company’s stock.

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.