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

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

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. DA Davidson boosted their price target on shares of Simmons First National from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Zacks Research downgraded Simmons First National from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 13th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on Simmons First National from $22.00 to $21.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Simmons First National in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Simmons First National in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. They set a “positive” rating and a $22.00 price objective on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Simmons First National has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $22.33.

Simmons First National Stock Up 2.6%

Shares of NASDAQ SFNC opened at $17.91 on Friday. Simmons First National has a 52-week low of $17.00 and a 52-week high of $25.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.88. The stock has a market cap of $2.59 billion, a P/E ratio of -6.11 and a beta of 0.97. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $19.14 and a 200 day moving average price of $19.30.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) last released its quarterly 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 analyst estimates of $103.26 million. Simmons First National had a positive return on equity of 5.84% and a negative net margin of 29.70%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.37 EPS. Analysts expect that Simmons First National will post 1.66 EPS for the current year.

Simmons First National Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th were paid a $0.2125 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 15th. This represents a $0.85 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.7%. Simmons First National’s payout ratio is -29.01%.

Insider Transactions at Simmons First National

In other Simmons First National news, Director Steven A. Cosse purchased 8,603 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 30th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $17.44 per share, for a total transaction of $150,036.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the director 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 available through this link. Also, EVP David W. Garner purchased 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 22nd. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $1,277,612.70. This trade represents a 4.33% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders own 1.44% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SFNC. 1900 Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Simmons First National by 1.1% during the second quarter. 1900 Wealth Management LLC now owns 47,560 shares of the bank’s stock worth $902,000 after purchasing an additional 497 shares during the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its holdings 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 buying an additional 644 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its position in shares of Simmons First National by 42.5% during the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 2,175 shares of the bank’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 649 shares during the last quarter. Mustard Seed Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Simmons First National by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. Mustard Seed Financial LLC now owns 34,402 shares of the bank’s stock worth $706,000 after buying an additional 656 shares during the last quarter. Finally, California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its stake in Simmons First National by 0.7% in the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 115,982 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,199,000 after buying an additional 787 shares in the last quarter. 27.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Simmons First National

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.