Renaissance Technologies LLC Grows Position in Simmons First National Corporation $SFNC

Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its position in Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ:SFNC) by 52.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 304,657 shares of the bank’s stock after acquiring an additional 105,400 shares during the quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned approximately 0.21% of Simmons First National worth $5,926,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Simmons First National by 156.0% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,518 shares of the bank’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 925 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Simmons First National by 197.5% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,663 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 1,104 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Simmons First National by 35.6% during the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,884 shares of the bank’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 495 shares during the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its position in shares of Simmons First National by 32.0% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 2,658 shares of the bank’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 644 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Systematic Financial Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Simmons First National during the 4th quarter worth about $66,000. 27.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Simmons First National Trading Down 0.4%

NASDAQ:SFNC opened at $24.03 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.49 billion, a PE ratio of -9.50 and a beta of 0.91. Simmons First National Corporation has a 52-week low of $17.00 and a 52-week high of $24.25. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $22.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $21.21. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 16th. The bank reported $0.50 earnings per share 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%. Simmons First National’s revenue was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.44 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Simmons First National Corporation will post 2.05 EPS for the current year.

Simmons First National Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were given a dividend of $0.215 per share. This represents a $0.86 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. Simmons First National’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -33.99%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SFNC has been the topic of several research analyst reports. National Bank Financial set a $25.00 target price on Simmons First National in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Simmons First National in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Morgan Stanley restated a “positive” rating on shares of Simmons First National in a research report on Monday, June 29th. Stephens upped their target price on shares of Simmons First National from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $23.00 target price on shares of Simmons First National in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.