Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) Sets New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ:SFNC) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $22.74 and last traded at $22.7980, with a volume of 143150 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $22.48.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on SFNC. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Simmons First National from $23.00 to $21.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $21.00 price target on shares of Simmons First National in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Zacks Research cut Simmons First National from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. Stephens increased their price target 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. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Simmons First National from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $22.00.

Simmons First National Trading Up 1.3%

The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $21.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $20.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -8.89 and a beta of 0.91.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The bank reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $243.02 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.26 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Simmons First National Corporation will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Simmons First National Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be 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 is Monday, June 15th. Simmons First National’s dividend payout ratio is currently -33.59%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in Simmons First National by 156.0% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,518 shares of the bank’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 925 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings 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 during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Simmons First National by 35.6% in the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,884 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 495 shares in the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Simmons First National by 32.0% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 2,658 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 644 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Systematic Financial Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Simmons First National during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $66,000. Institutional investors 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.