Home BancShares, Inc. (NYSE:HOMB) Stock Rated “Moderate Buy” by Wall Street Brokerages

Shares of Home BancShares, Inc. (NYSE:HOMB) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the nine research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $33.00.

Several research analysts have weighed in on HOMB shares. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $32.00 price target (up from $29.00) on shares of Home BancShares in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $31.00 target price (up from $30.00) on shares of Home BancShares in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Home BancShares from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Benchmark began coverage on Home BancShares in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $36.00 target price (up from $33.00) on shares of Home BancShares in a research note on Friday, July 17th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Home BancShares news, CEO John Tipton sold 12,000 shares of Home BancShares stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.59, for a total transaction of $379,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 76,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,410,569.72. The trade was a 13.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 6.39% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Home BancShares

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of HOMB. Root Financial Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Home BancShares by 76.9% during the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 1,090 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 474 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Vermont bought a new position in Home BancShares in the 2nd quarter valued at about $41,000. Ancora Advisors LLC bought a new position in Home BancShares in the 2nd quarter valued at about $45,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in Home BancShares by 153.3% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,857 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 1,124 shares during the period. Finally, Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. acquired a new stake in Home BancShares during the fourth quarter worth approximately $58,000. 67.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Home BancShares Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of Home BancShares stock opened at $28.47 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.92. Home BancShares has a 52-week low of $25.50 and a 52-week high of $31.70. The firm has a market cap of $5.70 billion, a PE ratio of 11.77 and a beta of 0.72. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $29.88 and its 200 day simple moving average is $28.51.

Home BancShares (NYSE:HOMB) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.02. Home BancShares had a net margin of 32.10% and a return on equity of 11.12%. The business had revenue of $295.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $288.70 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.58 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Home BancShares will post 2.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Home BancShares Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 2nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 12th were issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 12th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. This is a positive change from Home BancShares’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Home BancShares’s payout ratio is 38.02%.

Home BancShares Company Profile

Home BancShares, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in Conway, Arkansas. Through its principal banking subsidiary, Centennial Bank, the company provides a range of financial services to individuals, businesses and institutions.

Centennial Bank offers deposit accounts, residential and commercial real estate lending, consumer loans, commercial and industrial financing, treasury management, online and mobile banking, and other traditional banking services. The bank serves customers through a network of financial centers and digital channels.

Home BancShares was established in 1998 and has expanded through a combination of organic growth and acquisitions.