Quantbot Technologies LP Takes $889,000 Position in Simmons First National Co. (NASDAQ:SFNC)

Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of Simmons First National Co. (NASDAQ:SFNC) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 40,072 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $889,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Simmons First National by 33.8% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 676,171 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $14,565,000 after purchasing an additional 170,821 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in Simmons First National by 131.4% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 247,821 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $5,337,000 after buying an additional 140,738 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Simmons First National by 27.1% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 515,690 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $11,438,000 after acquiring an additional 109,866 shares during the period. Dean Investment Associates LLC boosted its stake in shares of Simmons First National by 231.6% during the 3rd quarter. Dean Investment Associates LLC now owns 137,352 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,959,000 after acquiring an additional 95,928 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Simmons First National in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,468,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 27.58% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Stephens decreased their target price on Simmons First National from $29.00 to $28.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd.

Simmons First National Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ SFNC opened at $20.75 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $21.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $22.46. The company has a market capitalization of $2.61 billion, a PE ratio of 17.15 and a beta of 0.84. Simmons First National Co. has a 12-month low of $16.03 and a 12-month high of $25.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The bank reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.03. Simmons First National had a return on equity of 5.10% and a net margin of 10.46%. The firm had revenue of $208.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $208.67 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.40 EPS. Simmons First National’s revenue was up 17.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Simmons First National Co. will post 1.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Simmons First National Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.2125 dividend. This is an increase from Simmons First National’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $0.85 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.10%. Simmons First National’s payout ratio is presently 70.25%.

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.