Cullen Capital Management LLC Makes New Investment in Simmons First National Corporation $SFNC

Cullen Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ:SFNC) in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm acquired 25,070 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $568,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position 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 during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Simmons First National by 197.5% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,663 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,104 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in 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 during the period. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its holdings in 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 during the period. Finally, Systematic Financial Management LP acquired a new stake in Simmons First National in the 4th quarter worth $66,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.58% of the company’s stock.

Simmons First National Stock Down 1.2%

SFNC opened at $22.70 on Wednesday. Simmons First National Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $17.00 and a fifty-two week high of $24.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.92. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $23.07 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $21.52. The company has a market capitalization of $3.28 billion, a P/E ratio of -8.97 and a beta of 0.91.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 16th. The bank reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by ($0.03). Simmons First National had a negative net margin of 24.64% and a positive return on equity of 8.32%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.44 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Simmons First National Corporation will post 2.05 EPS for the current year.

Simmons First National Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a $0.215 dividend. This represents a $0.86 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Simmons First National’s dividend payout ratio is currently -33.99%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and set a $25.00 price objective on shares of Simmons First National in a report on Friday, July 17th. National Bank Financial set a $25.00 target price on shares of Simmons First National in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Simmons First National in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Morgan Stanley restated a “positive” rating on shares of Simmons First National in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Simmons First National from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $24.50.

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.