Insider Selling: Simmons First National Co. (NASDAQ:SFNC) EVP Sells 15,625 Shares of Stock

Simmons First National Co. (NASDAQ:SFNC) EVP George A. Makris III sold 15,625 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.23, for a total value of $269,218.75. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 39,707 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $684,151.61. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Simmons First National Stock Up 1.6 %

Simmons First National stock opened at $17.98 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $2.25 billion, a PE ratio of 13.52 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.77. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $18.62 and a 200 day moving average of $18.03. Simmons First National Co. has a one year low of $13.36 and a one year high of $20.82.

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 the consensus estimate of $0.32. The firm had revenue of $195.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $202.35 million. Simmons First National had a net margin of 11.97% and a return on equity of 5.94%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.37 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Simmons First National Co. will post 1.33 EPS for the current year.

Simmons First National Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be given a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.67%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 14th. Simmons First National’s payout ratio is 63.16%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Simmons First National

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new stake in Simmons First National in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Briaud Financial Planning Inc purchased a new stake in Simmons First National in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $81,000. TFO Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake 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. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Simmons First National by 1,314.8% in the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 12,875 shares of the bank’s stock worth $218,000 after purchasing an additional 11,965 shares during the period. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Simmons First National in the third quarter worth $219,000. 27.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SFNC has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com cut shares of Simmons First National from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on Simmons First National from $21.00 to $20.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Stephens reduced their price objective on Simmons First National from $22.00 to $21.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Simmons First National from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 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 MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $21.00.

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.