Natixis Advisors LLC Purchases 5,006 Shares of Simmons First National Co. (NASDAQ:SFNC)

Natixis Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Simmons First National Co. (NASDAQ:SFNC) by 32.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 20,606 shares of the bank’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,006 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in Simmons First National were worth $457,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Simmons First National during the 3rd quarter worth $677,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Simmons First National by 3.7% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,866,142 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $40,197,000 after buying an additional 65,992 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. raised its position in shares of Simmons First National by 20.1% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 214,944 shares of the bank’s stock worth $4,630,000 after acquiring an additional 36,024 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted 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, BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in Simmons First National by 48.3% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 40,294 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $868,000 after acquiring an additional 13,124 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.58% of the company’s stock.

Simmons First National Price Performance

Shares of SFNC opened at $20.78 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $2.61 billion, a PE ratio of 17.17 and a beta of 0.84. Simmons First National Co. has a 52-week low of $16.03 and a 52-week high of $25.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $21.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $22.45.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The bank reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.03. Simmons First National had a net margin of 10.46% and a return on equity of 5.10%. The business had revenue of $208.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $208.67 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.40 earnings per share. Simmons First National’s revenue was up 17.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Simmons First National Co. will post 1.66 EPS for the current 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 given a $0.2125 dividend. This represents a $0.85 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.09%. This is a positive change from Simmons First National’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Simmons First National’s payout ratio is presently 70.25%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Stephens reduced their price objective on shares of Simmons First National from $29.00 to $28.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd.

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.