Fisher Asset Management LLC Buys 39,995 Shares of Simmons First National Co. (NASDAQ:SFNC)

Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Simmons First National Co. (NASDAQ:SFNC - Free Report) by 6.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 621,000 shares of the bank's stock after purchasing an additional 39,995 shares during the quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC owned about 0.49% of Simmons First National worth $13,774,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Simmons First National by 2,078.7% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,946 shares of the bank's stock worth $322,000 after buying an additional 14,260 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Simmons First National by 18.2% during the third quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 16,466 shares of the bank's stock worth $355,000 after acquiring an additional 2,531 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Simmons First National by 4.4% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 646,325 shares of the bank's stock worth $13,922,000 after acquiring an additional 27,479 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd grew its position in shares of Simmons First National by 13.7% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 4,129 shares of the bank's stock valued at $89,000 after purchasing an additional 497 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jag Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Simmons First National by 1.2% during the third quarter. Jag Capital Management LLC now owns 119,236 shares of the bank's stock worth $2,568,000 after purchasing an additional 1,431 shares during the period. 27.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Simmons First National Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SFNC traded down $0.04 on Friday, reaching $20.56. 1,204,218 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 524,314. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Simmons First National Co. has a twelve month low of $16.03 and a twelve month high of $25.95. The company has a fifty day moving average of $22.20 and a 200-day moving average of $22.49. The company has a market capitalization of $2.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.99 and a beta of 0.86.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 21st. The bank reported $0.39 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $208.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $208.67 million. Simmons First National had a return on equity of 5.10% and a net margin of 10.46%. The company's revenue was up 17.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.40 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Simmons First National Co. will post 1.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Simmons First National Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.2125 per share. This represents a $0.85 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.13%. This is an increase from Simmons First National's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Simmons First National's dividend payout ratio is presently 70.25%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Stephens reduced their price target on Simmons First National from $29.00 to $28.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd.

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.