Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) Upgraded to “Strong-Buy” at Baird R W

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) was upgraded by analysts at Baird R W from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

SFNC has been the subject of several other research reports. National Bankshares set a $22.00 price objective on shares of Simmons First National in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Simmons First National from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 13th. DA Davidson lifted their price target on Simmons First National from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Wall Street Zen cut Simmons First National from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Simmons First National in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. They issued a “positive” rating and a $22.00 price objective for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $22.33.

Simmons First National Stock Performance

NASDAQ SFNC opened at $17.54 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.88. Simmons First National has a 1-year low of $17.00 and a 1-year high of $25.52. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $18.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $19.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.54 billion, a PE ratio of -5.99 and a beta of 0.97.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) last posted 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). Simmons First National had a negative net margin of 29.70% and a positive return on equity of 5.84%. The firm had revenue of $232.54 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $103.26 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.37 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Simmons First National will post 1.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Simmons First National news, EVP David W. Garner bought 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 22nd. The shares were purchased 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 represents a 4.33% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Steven A. Cosse purchased 8,603 shares of Simmons First National stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 30th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $17.44 per share, for a total transaction of $150,036.32. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 113,652 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,982,090.88. This trade represents a 8.19% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 1.44% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Simmons First National

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in SFNC. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Simmons First National by 12.0% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,419,609 shares of the bank’s stock worth $314,764,000 after buying an additional 1,763,161 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in Simmons First National by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 7,630,535 shares of the bank’s stock worth $146,279,000 after acquiring an additional 169,768 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new position in shares of Simmons First National during the third quarter worth approximately $129,282,000. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of Simmons First National by 2.1% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 4,508,330 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $86,425,000 after acquiring an additional 91,596 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Westwood Holdings Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Simmons First National by 7.3% during the second quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 3,737,214 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $70,858,000 after acquiring an additional 254,067 shares in the last quarter. 27.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.