3 Stocks Where Insider Buying Activity is Exploding: Verastem Inc, Kennametal Inc. and More

Lastly is Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ:SFNC), a 100-year-old bank which operates more than 100 branch and ATM outlets throughout Arkansas, Missouri, and Kansas. Since November 19, there have been 8 different insider purchases involving 7 different insiders, while there hasn’t been a single sale during that time.

Analysts are as bullish on Simmons as its insiders are, with Keefe, Bruyette, & Woods upgrading its price target to $47.00 on January 26, and Sterne Agee initiating coverage on November 24 with a ‘Buy’ rating and $52.50 price target. The latter price target is more than 25% above the current trading price of $40.47.

In its most recent earnings report, Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ:SFNC) reported earnings per share of $0.64, which narrowly missed estimates of $0.65 per share. On February 5 they announced a $0.23 quarterly cash dividend per share,  a 4.5% increase over the cash dividend paid during the same year-ago period.

Our tracked hedge funds have traditionally had limited interest in Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ:SFNC), and that was also the case of September 30. Ken Gray and Steve Walsh’s Bryn Mawr Capital had the greatest investment with 45,124 shares. We’ll soon know if our hedge fund activity picked up in this stock as the insider activity did; be sure to check back for all the details.

Disclosure: None