Simmons First National Co. (NASDAQ:SFNC) Increases Dividend to $0.20 Per Share

Simmons First National Co. (NASDAQ:SFNC – Get Rating) declared a quarterly dividend on Monday, January 23rd, Zacks reports. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 15th will be given a dividend of 0.20 per share by the bank on Monday, April 3rd. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.83%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 14th. This is an increase from Simmons First National’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19.

Simmons First National has raised its dividend payment by an average of 5.9% annually over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 11 consecutive years. Simmons First National has a payout ratio of 31.8% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect Simmons First National to earn $2.31 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.76 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 32.9%.

Simmons First National Trading Down 9.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:SFNC opened at $20.91 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The company has a market capitalization of $2.65 billion, a PE ratio of 11.36 and a beta of 0.84. Simmons First National has a 12-month low of $19.34 and a 12-month high of $29.94. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $22.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $22.89.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC – Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 25th. The bank reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.62 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $236.61 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $241.70 million. Simmons First National had a net margin of 23.56% and a return on equity of 8.73%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Simmons First National will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com lowered shares of Simmons First National from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday.

Insider Activity

In other Simmons First National news, Director Dean O. Bass sold 27,100 shares of Simmons First National stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.76, for a total transaction of $616,796.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 181,860 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,139,133.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Simmons First National

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of SFNC. MAS Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Simmons First National during the first quarter worth about $489,000. Citigroup Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Simmons First National by 9.9% during the 1st quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 101,845 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,670,000 after acquiring an additional 9,182 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors L.P. raised its holdings in shares of Simmons First National by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 28,625 shares of the bank’s stock worth $751,000 after acquiring an additional 514 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its position in shares of Simmons First National by 96.1% during the 1st quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 63,466 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,715,000 after acquiring an additional 31,097 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Simmons First National by 55.4% in the first quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 59,591 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,562,000 after purchasing an additional 21,233 shares during the period. 13.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Simmons First National Company Profile

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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.