Peoples Financial Services (NASDAQ:PFIS) Rating Increased to Hold 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 Thursday.

Peoples Financial Services Stock Performance

Shares of PFIS stock traded down $0.68 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $49.80. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 13,897 shares, compared to its average volume of 16,885. The stock has a market cap of $497.00 million, a PE ratio of 20.95 and a beta of 0.50. Peoples Financial Services has a 12-month low of $36.26 and a 12-month high of $55.64. The company has a 50 day moving average of $46.80 and a 200 day moving average of $43.96. 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 (NASDAQ:PFIS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.56. Peoples Financial Services had a return on equity of 5.93% and a net margin of 10.07%. The business had revenue of $74.01 million during the quarter. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Peoples Financial Services will post 3.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Peoples Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th will be paid a $0.618 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 29th. This represents a $2.47 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.96%. Peoples Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 102.49%.

Institutional Trading of Peoples Financial Services

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of PFIS. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in Peoples Financial Services by 87.7% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 3,400 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $147,000 after acquiring an additional 1,589 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Peoples Financial Services during the 3rd quarter worth about $149,000. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its stake in Peoples Financial Services by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 8,749 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $398,000 after buying an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Peoples Financial Services by 46.7% during the first quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd now owns 10,707 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $460,000 after acquiring an additional 3,409 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers lifted its position in shares of Peoples Financial Services by 14.5% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 12,450 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $567,000 after acquiring an additional 1,576 shares in the last quarter. 31.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Peoples Financial Services

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.