Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) Reaches New 52-Week High - Should You Buy?

Simmons First National Co. (NASDAQ:SFNC - Get Free Report)'s share price hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $23.88 and last traded at $23.86, with a volume of 12658 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $23.53.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Simmons First National Stock Up 0.5 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.80. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $21.64 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $19.49. The company has a market capitalization of $2.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.43 and a beta of 0.87.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, October 18th. The bank reported $0.37 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.33 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $203.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $204.91 million. Simmons First National had a net margin of 8.94% and a return on equity of 5.15%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.39 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Simmons First National Co. will post 1.32 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Simmons First National news, CAO David W. Garner sold 3,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.21, for a total transaction of $76,356.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 64,966 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,377,928.86. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.91% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Simmons First National

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of SFNC. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Simmons First National by 18.2% during the third quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 16,466 shares of the bank's stock valued at $355,000 after buying an additional 2,531 shares during the period. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. grew its stake in Simmons First National by 105.9% during the 3rd quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 3,888 shares of the bank's stock valued at $84,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Simmons First National by 2,078.7% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,946 shares of the bank's stock valued at $322,000 after purchasing an additional 14,260 shares during the period. Alexander Labrunerie & CO. Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Simmons First National in the third quarter worth approximately $209,000. Finally, Naviter Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Simmons First National during the third quarter worth approximately $292,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 27.58% of the company's stock.

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.