UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Simmons First National Co. (NASDAQ:SFNC)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Simmons First National Co. (NASDAQ:SFNC - Free Report) by 13.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 183,058 shares of the bank's stock after selling 28,161 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned approximately 0.15% of Simmons First National worth $3,943,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Simmons First National by 2,045.5% during the second quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 1,888 shares of the bank's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 1,800 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd lifted its stake in Simmons First National by 13.7% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 4,129 shares of the bank's stock valued at $89,000 after acquiring an additional 497 shares during the period. KBC Group NV boosted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 1,045 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of Simmons First National by 5.5% in 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 period. Finally, LMR Partners LLP purchased a new position in shares of Simmons First National during the third quarter worth $205,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.58% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SFNC has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com raised Simmons First National from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Stephens upgraded Simmons First National from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $27.00 to $28.00 in a research 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 given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Simmons First National presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $23.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO David W. Garner sold 5,090 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.25, for a total value of $128,522.50. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 64,966 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,640,391.50. This represents a 7.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Chairman George Makris, Jr. sold 25,440 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.21, for a total value of $641,342.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 608,347 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,336,427.87. This trade represents a 4.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 45,800 shares of company stock worth $1,136,650. 1.91% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Simmons First National Price Performance

NASDAQ SFNC traded up $0.05 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $23.77. The company's stock had a trading volume of 466,904 shares, compared to its average volume of 540,087. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.30 and a beta of 0.86. The company's 50-day moving average is $23.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $20.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80. Simmons First National Co. has a 1-year low of $16.03 and a 1-year high of $25.95.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 18th. The bank reported $0.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.33 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $203.20 million for 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%. The company's revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.39 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Simmons First National Co. will post 1.33 EPS for the current year.

Simmons First National Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th will be issued a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.53%. Simmons First National's dividend payout ratio is presently 82.35%.

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.