Simmons First National Co. (NASDAQ:SFNC) EVP Sells $269,218.75 in Stock

Simmons First National Co. (NASDAQ:SFNC) EVP George A. Makris III sold 15,625 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.23, for a total transaction of $269,218.75. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 39,707 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $684,151.61. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Simmons First National Stock Up 1.6 %

SFNC stock opened at $17.98 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $18.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $18.03. The company has a market cap of $2.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.52 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.77. Simmons First National Co. has a fifty-two week low of $13.36 and a fifty-two week high of $20.82.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The bank reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32. Simmons First National had a return on equity of 5.94% and a net margin of 11.97%. The company had revenue of $195.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $202.35 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.37 earnings per share. Simmons First National’s revenue for the quarter was down 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Simmons First National Co. will post 1.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Simmons First National Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.67%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 14th. Simmons First National’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.16%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Simmons First National

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in SFNC. Simmons Bank increased its holdings in Simmons First National by 9.8% during the 4th quarter. Simmons Bank now owns 1,977,793 shares of the bank’s stock worth $39,239,000 after purchasing an additional 175,716 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Simmons First National by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,603,937 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $31,822,000 after buying an additional 69,560 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Simmons First National in the 4th quarter valued at $27,751,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its stake in Simmons First National by 54.3% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 992,678 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $19,695,000 after acquiring an additional 349,534 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LSV Asset Management lifted its stake in Simmons First National by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 630,600 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $10,695,000 after acquiring an additional 33,770 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.58% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SFNC has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Stephens decreased their price target on Simmons First National from $22.00 to $21.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 25th. StockNews.com downgraded Simmons First National from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 2nd. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Simmons First National from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on shares of Simmons First National from $21.00 to $20.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and three have issued a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $21.00.

Simmons First National Company Profile

Simmons First National Corporation operates as the holding company for Simmons Bank that provides banking and other financial products and services to individuals and businesses. The company offers checking, savings, and time deposits; consumer, real estate, and commercial loans; agricultural finance, equipment, and small business administration lending; trust and fiduciary services; credit cards; investment management products; treasury management; insurance products; and securities and investment services.