Norges Bank Makes New $27.10 Million Investment in Simmons First National Co. (NASDAQ:SFNC)

Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Simmons First National Co. (NASDAQ:SFNC - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 1,221,577 shares of the bank's stock, valued at approximately $27,095,000. Norges Bank owned about 0.97% of Simmons First National at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SFNC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of Simmons First National by 49.6% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,011,431 shares of the bank's stock worth $22,434,000 after buying an additional 335,260 shares during the last quarter. Advantage Alpha Capital Partners LP grew its holdings in Simmons First National by 12.8% during the 4th quarter. Advantage Alpha Capital Partners LP now owns 28,022 shares of the bank's stock worth $622,000 after acquiring an additional 3,177 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Simmons First National by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,866,647 shares of the bank's stock valued at $329,742,000 after acquiring an additional 630,376 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of Simmons First National by 14.1% in the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 32,345 shares of the bank's stock valued at $717,000 after purchasing an additional 4,007 shares during the period. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new position in shares of Simmons First National in the 4th quarter worth $579,000. 27.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Simmons First National Trading Down 0.3 %

NASDAQ:SFNC traded down $0.05 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $17.82. The stock had a trading volume of 760,440 shares, compared to its average volume of 591,798. The business's 50 day moving average is $20.80 and its 200-day moving average is $22.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. The company has a market cap of $2.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.73 and a beta of 0.82. Simmons First National Co. has a one year low of $16.03 and a one year high of $25.95.

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

Simmons First National Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were given a $0.2125 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from Simmons First National's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.85 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.77%. Simmons First National's payout ratio is currently 70.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Simmons First National 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.