Stephens Inc. AR Acquires 28,246 Shares of Simmons First National Corporation $SFNC

Stephens Inc. AR boosted its stake in Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ:SFNC) by 24.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 144,017 shares of the bank’s stock after acquiring an additional 28,246 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR owned 0.10% of Simmons First National worth $2,761,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of SFNC. New York State Teachers Retirement System grew its stake in Simmons First National by 2.1% in the third quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 85,726 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,643,000 after purchasing an additional 1,765 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund lifted its stake in shares of Simmons First National by 13.6% in the third quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 32,575 shares of the bank’s stock worth $624,000 after buying an additional 3,900 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its holdings in shares of Simmons First National by 4.2% during the third quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 78,130 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,497,000 after buying an additional 3,175 shares during the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS increased its position in shares of Simmons First National by 12.6% during the third quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS now owns 30,400 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $588,000 after acquiring an additional 3,400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System lifted its position in Simmons First National by 13.1% in the 3rd quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 66,500 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,275,000 after acquiring an additional 7,700 shares in the last quarter. 27.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Simmons First National Stock Performance

SFNC opened at $19.24 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $18.80 and its 200 day moving average is $19.24. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The company has a market cap of $2.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.57 and a beta of 0.89. Simmons First National Corporation has a 12-month low of $17.00 and a 12-month high of $23.44.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 16th. The bank reported $0.46 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.47 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $232.54 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $103.26 million. Simmons First National had a negative net margin of 29.70% and a positive return on equity of 5.84%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.37 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Simmons First National Corporation will post 1.66 EPS for the current year.

Simmons First National Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th were issued a $0.2125 dividend. This represents a $0.85 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 15th. Simmons First National’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -29.01%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on SFNC shares. National Bankshares set a $22.00 target price on Simmons First National in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Piper Sandler raised Simmons First National from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. Wall Street Zen raised Simmons First National from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of Simmons First National from $22.00 to $21.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Simmons First National in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $22.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at Simmons First National

In related news, Director Steven A. Cosse acquired 8,603 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 30th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $17.44 per share, with a total value of $150,036.32. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 113,652 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,982,090.88. This represents a 8.19% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David W. Garner acquired 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 22nd. The shares were bought at an average price of $17.66 per share, with a total value of $52,980.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the executive vice president owned 72,345 shares in the company, valued at $1,277,612.70. This trade represents a 4.33% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 1.44% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Simmons First National 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.