Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) Cut to “Sell” at StockNews.com

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

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Stephens lowered their price target on shares of 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and three have issued a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Simmons First National currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $21.00.

Simmons First National Price Performance

Shares of Simmons First National stock opened at $17.58 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $17.39 and a 200-day simple moving average of $18.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Simmons First National has a 1-year low of $13.36 and a 1-year high of $20.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.22 and a beta of 0.88.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The bank reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32. Simmons First National had a net margin of 11.97% and a return on equity of 5.94%. The business had revenue of $195.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $202.35 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.37 earnings per share. Simmons First National’s revenue for the quarter was down 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Simmons First National will post 1.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Simmons First National Announces Dividend

The company 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 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 that occurred on Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.23, for a total transaction of $269,218.75. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 39,707 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $684,151.61. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.91% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Simmons First National

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new position in shares of Simmons First National during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. TFO Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Simmons First National by 250,150.0% in the fourth quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC now owns 10,010 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $199,000 after buying an additional 10,006 shares in the last quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Simmons First National in the first quarter valued at $227,000. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Simmons First National by 15.9% in the fourth quarter. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 11,590 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $230,000 after buying an additional 1,590 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Everence Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Simmons First National in the first quarter valued at $252,000. 27.58% of the stock is owned by 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.