StockNews.com lowered shares of Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC – Get Rating) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report released on Thursday.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Stephens increased their price target on shares of Simmons First National to $25.00 in a research report on Monday, July 25th. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on Simmons First National to $24.50 in a report on Monday, July 4th.

Simmons First National Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SFNC opened at $23.49 on Thursday. Simmons First National has a one year low of $19.87 and a one year high of $32.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.71 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.05 and a beta of 0.87. The company's fifty day moving average price is $22.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $24.81.

Simmons First National Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.19 per share. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.24%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 14th. Simmons First National's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.97%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Dean O. Bass sold 7,334 shares of Simmons First National stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.88, for a total value of $175,135.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 230,680 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,508,638.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, Director Dean O. Bass sold 7,334 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.88, for a total transaction of $175,135.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 230,680 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,508,638.40. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Dean O. Bass sold 8,810 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.86, for a total transaction of $201,396.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 244,535 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,590,070.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Simmons First National

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of SFNC. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Simmons First National by 5.5% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,036,376 shares of the bank's stock worth $341,814,000 after acquiring an additional 677,796 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Simmons First National by 5.0% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,736,788 shares of the bank's stock worth $144,446,000 after acquiring an additional 318,383 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Simmons First National by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,361,504 shares of the bank's stock valued at $166,802,000 after buying an additional 110,654 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in Simmons First National by 3.0% during the 2nd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 5,703,816 shares of the bank's stock worth $121,264,000 after purchasing an additional 165,256 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Westwood Holdings Group Inc. lifted its position in Simmons First National by 27.8% in the fourth quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 2,830,239 shares of the bank's stock valued at $83,719,000 after purchasing an additional 615,775 shares during the period. 13.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Simmons First National

(Get Rating)

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. It 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; insurance products; and securities and investment services.

Featured Stories

• Get a free copy of the StockNews.com research report on Simmons First National (SFNC)
• Could Snap Stock Rebound As Management Restructures?
• MarketBeat: Week in Review 8/29 – 9/2
• Hormel Looks Cheap At These Levels
• Lululemon Set To Soar Into September
• Could Nike Stock be Oversold, but Still Overvalued?

Receive News & Ratings for Simmons First National Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Simmons First National and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.