AQR Capital Management LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Simmons First National Co. (NASDAQ:SFNC)

AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in Simmons First National Co. (NASDAQ:SFNC) by 5.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 35,456 shares of the bank’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,744 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Simmons First National were worth $623,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Simmons First National by 6.0% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 7,323,934 shares of the bank’s stock worth $128,752,000 after acquiring an additional 413,459 shares during the last quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Simmons First National by 3.7% in the second quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 1,677,924 shares of the bank’s stock worth $29,498,000 after acquiring an additional 59,495 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Simmons First National by 54.3% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 992,678 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $19,695,000 after purchasing an additional 349,534 shares in the last quarter. Mesirow Institutional Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Simmons First National by 28.0% during the second quarter. Mesirow Institutional Investment Management Inc. now owns 705,138 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $12,396,000 after purchasing an additional 154,128 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LSV Asset Management lifted its holdings in shares of Simmons First National by 1.1% during the second quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 597,270 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $10,500,000 after purchasing an additional 6,370 shares in the last quarter. 27.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Simmons First National Stock Performance

NASDAQ:SFNC opened at $22.28 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. Simmons First National Co. has a 12-month low of $13.36 and a 12-month high of $22.46. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $20.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $19.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.72 and a beta of 0.87.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The bank reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $372.44 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $197.30 million. Simmons First National had a return on equity of 5.33% and a net margin of 10.49%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.48 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Simmons First National Co. will post 1.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Simmons First National Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th were paid a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 13th. Simmons First National’s payout ratio is 70.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SFNC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Stephens upped their price target on Simmons First National from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Simmons First National from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Piper Sandler increased their target price on Simmons First National from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Simmons First National from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, September 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and three have assigned a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $21.75.

Insider Activity

In related news, Chairman George Makris, Jr. sold 21,420 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.58, for a total transaction of $462,243.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 608,347 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,128,128.26. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, CAO David W. Garner sold 3,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.21, for a total transaction of $76,356.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 64,966 shares in the company, valued at $1,377,928.86. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Chairman George Makris, Jr. sold 21,420 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.58, for a total value of $462,243.60. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 608,347 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,128,128.26. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 33,700 shares of company stock valued at $728,952 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.91% of the company’s stock.

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.