Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) Lowered to “Sell” Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note published on Sunday morning.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Zacks Research cut shares of Simmons First National from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 13th. National Bankshares set a $22.00 target price on shares of Simmons First National in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Piper Sandler upgraded shares of Simmons First National from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. 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. Finally, Baird R W raised Simmons First National from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $22.33.

Simmons First National Stock Performance

NASDAQ:SFNC opened at $19.24 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.88. Simmons First National has a fifty-two week low of $17.00 and a fifty-two week high of $23.44. The firm has a market cap of $2.78 billion, a PE ratio of -6.57 and a beta of 0.89. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $18.80 and a 200-day moving average price of $19.24.

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

Simmons First National Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th were given a $0.2125 dividend. This represents a $0.85 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. Simmons First National’s dividend payout ratio is presently -29.01%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Steven A. Cosse acquired 8,603 shares of Simmons First National stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 30th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $17.44 per share, with a total value of $150,036.32. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly 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 acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP David W. Garner acquired 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 22nd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $17.66 per share, with a total value of $52,980.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the executive vice president directly owned 72,345 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,277,612.70. This trade represents a 4.33% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 1.44% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Simmons First National

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Wellington Management Group LLP bought a new position in Simmons First National in the 3rd quarter worth about $129,282,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Simmons First National by 12.0% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,419,609 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $314,764,000 after purchasing an additional 1,763,161 shares during the period. Azora Capital LP bought a new position in Simmons First National in the third quarter worth approximately $13,177,000. Mendon Capital Advisors Corp bought a new position in Simmons First National in the third quarter worth approximately $7,794,000. Finally, Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Simmons First National during the 3rd quarter worth $6,372,000. 27.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Simmons First National Company Profile

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.