Stephens Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) Stock Price

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC - Get Free Report) had its target price reduced by investment analysts at Stephens from $29.00 to $28.00 in a research note issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "overweight" rating on the bank's stock. Stephens' target price suggests a potential upside of 25.11% from the company's previous close.

Separately, StockNews.com raised Simmons First National from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. 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, Simmons First National presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $23.00.

Simmons First National Stock Performance

SFNC stock traded up $0.02 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $22.38. 85,001 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 601,308. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $23.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $22.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.48 and a beta of 0.87. Simmons First National has a 12 month low of $16.03 and a 12 month high of $25.95. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 21st. The bank reported $0.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $208.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $208,673.17 billion. Simmons First National had a net margin of 10.46% and a return on equity of 5.12%. The business's revenue was up 17.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.40 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Simmons First National will post 1.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Simmons First National

In related news, Chairman George Makris, Jr. sold 25,440 shares of Simmons First National 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 sale, the chairman now directly owns 608,347 shares in the company, valued at $15,336,427.87. This trade represents a 4.01 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO David W. Garner sold 5,090 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.25, for a total transaction of $128,522.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 64,966 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,640,391.50. This trade represents a 7.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 45,800 shares of company stock worth $1,136,650. Corporate insiders own 1.91% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of Simmons First National by 5.5% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,778 shares of the bank's stock worth $168,000 after acquiring an additional 403 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in Simmons First National by 13.7% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 4,129 shares of the bank's stock worth $89,000 after purchasing an additional 497 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in shares of Simmons First National by 29.0% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 4,648 shares of the bank's stock valued at $100,000 after purchasing an additional 1,045 shares during the last quarter. Jag Capital Management LLC increased its position 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 buying an additional 1,431 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Simmons First National by 5.2% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 35,456 shares of the bank's stock worth $623,000 after buying an additional 1,744 shares during the last quarter. 27.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Simmons First National

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.

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