Peoples Financial Services (NASDAQ:PFIS) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Peoples Financial Services (NASDAQ:PFIS) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Tuesday morning.

Separately, Stephens decreased their target price on Peoples Financial Services from $50.00 to $47.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 13th.

Peoples Financial Services Stock Performance

Peoples Financial Services stock opened at $44.51 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $45.82 and a 200-day moving average of $41.89. The firm has a market cap of $314.11 million, a P/E ratio of 13.65 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. Peoples Financial Services has a 1-year low of $36.26 and a 1-year high of $51.00.

Peoples Financial Services (NASDAQ:PFIS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.07. Peoples Financial Services had a return on equity of 5.93% and a net margin of 10.07%. The company had revenue of $41.92 million during the quarter. Sell-side analysts expect that Peoples Financial Services will post 3.16 EPS for the current year.

Peoples Financial Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be issued a $0.618 dividend. This represents a $2.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. This is a boost from Peoples Financial Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Peoples Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio is 75.77%.

Insider Transactions at Peoples Financial Services

In related news, Director Richard S. Lochen, Jr. acquired 1,000 shares of Peoples Financial Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The stock was bought at an average price of $43.90 per share, with a total value of $43,900.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 15,555 shares in the company, valued at $682,864.50. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders have purchased a total of 1,604 shares of company stock valued at $73,008 in the last ninety days. 4.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Peoples Financial Services

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in shares of Peoples Financial Services by 87.7% during the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 3,400 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $147,000 after purchasing an additional 1,589 shares in the last quarter. Trexquant Investment LP bought a new position in Peoples Financial Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $281,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Peoples Financial Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $355,000. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Peoples Financial Services by 2.6% in the second quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 8,749 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $398,000 after acquiring an additional 220 shares during the period. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers raised its holdings in shares of Peoples Financial Services by 14.5% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 12,450 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $567,000 after purchasing an additional 1,576 shares during the last quarter. 31.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Peoples Financial Services Company Profile

Peoples Financial Services Corp. operates as the bank holding company for Peoples Security Bank and Trust Company that provides various commercial and retail banking services. The company accepts money market, negotiable order of withdrawal, savings, individual retirement, demand deposit, and certificates of deposit accounts.