Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) Downgraded by StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note published on Thursday.

A number of other research firms have also issued reports on SFNC. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on Simmons First National from $21.00 to $20.00 and set a market perform rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Stephens lowered their target price on Simmons First National from $22.00 to $21.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and three have given a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $21.00.

Simmons First National Stock Performance

Shares of SFNC opened at $17.58 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $17.39 and its 200 day moving average price is $18.43. Simmons First National has a 12-month low of $13.36 and a 12-month high of $20.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.21 billion, a PE ratio of 13.22 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.77.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The bank reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.32. Simmons First National had a return on equity of 5.94% and a net margin of 11.97%. The firm had revenue of $195.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $202.35 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.37 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Simmons First National will post 1.29 EPS for the current year.

Simmons First National Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 1st. Investors of record on Friday, June 14th will be given a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 14th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.78%. Simmons First National’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 63.16%.

Insider Activity at Simmons First National

In related news, 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 value of $269,218.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 39,707 shares in the company, valued at approximately $684,151.61. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.91% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Simmons First National

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of Simmons First National in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. TFO Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in Simmons First National by 250,150.0% during the 4th quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC now owns 10,010 shares of the bank’s stock worth $199,000 after acquiring an additional 10,006 shares during the period. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Simmons First National by 15.9% during the 4th quarter. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 11,590 shares of the bank’s stock worth $230,000 after acquiring an additional 1,590 shares during the period. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Simmons First National during the 1st quarter worth about $227,000. Finally, Everence Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Simmons First National during the 1st quarter worth about $252,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.58% of the company’s stock.

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.