Simmons Bank holding company reports fourth quarter earnings increase

The holding company for Simmons First National Bank reported core earnings of $25.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2015, a 128 percent increase compared with the same quarter in 2014, according to a news release.

Arkansas-based Simmons First National Corp. on Thursday disclosed that diluted earnings per share of its stock jumped 22 cents to 86 cents for the fourth quarter, an increase of 34 percent when compared to the fourth quarter of 2014.

“We are very proud of our team for achieving record operating results in 2015,” said George Makris, chairman and CEO of the company. “The hard work by all of our associates, especially those new to Simmons, has established a firm base on which to build.”

Core earnings for 2015 were reported as $89.6 million, an increase of nearly 132 percent from the previous year, according to the release. As of Dec. 31, the end of the fourth quarter, total deposits were reported to be $6.1 billion for the bank.

Simmons First National Corp. claims assets of $7.6 billion and conducts financial operations in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Tennessee. Simmons First has two Wichita locations.

This story was originally published January 21, 2016 at 11:15 AM with the headline "Simmons Bank holding company reports fourth quarter earnings increase."