Simmons First National Co. (NASDAQ:SFNC) Chairman George Makris, Jr. Sells 25,440 Shares

Simmons First National Co. (NASDAQ:SFNC - Get Free Report) Chairman George Makris, Jr. sold 25,440 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.21, for a total transaction of $641,342.40. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 608,347 shares in the company, valued at $15,336,427.87. The trade was a 4.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Simmons First National Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ SFNC traded down $0.03 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $24.49. 635,631 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 540,243. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. Simmons First National Co. has a 1-year low of $15.72 and a 1-year high of $25.95. The firm has a market cap of $3.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.01 and a beta of 0.86. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $22.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $19.99.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 18th. The bank reported $0.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.33 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $203.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $204.91 million. Simmons First National had a net margin of 8.94% and a return on equity of 5.15%. Simmons First National's revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.39 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Simmons First National Co. will post 1.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Simmons First National Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be paid a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.43%. Simmons First National's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 82.35%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SFNC has been the subject of several research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Simmons First National from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Stephens raised Simmons First National from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $27.00 to $28.00 in a report on Monday, October 21st. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Simmons First National from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Simmons First National from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Simmons First National has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $23.00.

Institutional Trading of Simmons First National

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of SFNC. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its stake in Simmons First National by 3,808.6% in the first quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 95,839 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,865,000 after purchasing an additional 93,387 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in Simmons First National by 17.1% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 173,229 shares of the bank's stock worth $3,371,000 after purchasing an additional 25,316 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in Simmons First National by 90.0% during the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 66,037 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,285,000 after purchasing an additional 31,284 shares during the last quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Simmons First National during the 1st quarter worth $1,254,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC grew its position in Simmons First National by 113,111.0% in the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 82,644 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,453,000 after acquiring an additional 82,571 shares during the last quarter. 27.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.