Simmons First National Co. (NASDAQ:SFNC – Get Free Report) saw a significant decline in short interest in the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 2,430,000 shares, a decline of 17.9% from the November 15th total of 2,960,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 535,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.5 days.

Insider Activity

In other Simmons First National news, EVP Stephen C. Massanelli acquired 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 27th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $14.15 per share, for a total transaction of $28,300.00. Following the purchase, the executive vice president now directly owns 80,829 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,143,730.35. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Robert L. Shoptaw purchased 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 30th. The shares were bought at an average price of $14.34 per share, for a total transaction of $143,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 77,724 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,114,562.16. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Stephen C. Massanelli acquired 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 27th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $14.15 per share, with a total value of $28,300.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 80,829 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,143,730.35. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.76% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Simmons First National

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SFNC. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Simmons First National by 8.1% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 358,314 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $6,077,000 after purchasing an additional 26,724 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its position in Simmons First National by 8.6% during the third quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 104,243 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,768,000 after acquiring an additional 8,228 shares during the last quarter. Walleye Trading LLC acquired a new stake in Simmons First National during the 3rd quarter worth about $289,000. Walleye Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Simmons First National during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,951,000. Finally, Comerica Bank raised its position in shares of Simmons First National by 15.3% in the 3rd quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 75,938 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,288,000 after acquiring an additional 10,082 shares in the last quarter. 13.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Simmons First National Trading Up 0.9 %

SFNC traded up $0.17 during trading on Friday, reaching $19.37. 2,918,705 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 564,605. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. Simmons First National has a one year low of $13.36 and a one year high of $23.68. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $16.16 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $17.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.42 billion, a PE ratio of 10.53 and a beta of 0.88.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 24th. The bank reported $0.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $196.21 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $200.20 million. Simmons First National had a net margin of 17.63% and a return on equity of 7.19%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Simmons First National will post 1.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Simmons First National Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 15th will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 14th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.13%. Simmons First National’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.48%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on SFNC shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Simmons First National from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. Stephens lowered their price target on Simmons First National from $20.00 to $18.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 25th. Finally, TheStreet lowered Simmons First National from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 6th.

View Our Latest Stock Report on Simmons First National

About Simmons First National (Get Free Report)

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; treasury management; insurance products; and securities and investment services.

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Original: MarketBeat News Feed: Short Interest in Simmons First National Co. (NASDAQ:SFNC) Declines By 17.9%