Peoples Financial Services (NASDAQ:PFIS) Stock Crosses Above 50-Day Moving Average – Here’s What Happened

Peoples Financial Services Corp. (NASDAQ:PFIS) shares crossed above its 50-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 50-day moving average of $51.08 and traded as high as $51.59. Peoples Financial Services shares last traded at $50.99, with a volume of 31,974 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Peoples Financial Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Peoples Financial Services has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $53.00.

Peoples Financial Services Price Performance

The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $51.08 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $48.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $509.39 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.22 and a beta of 0.80.

Peoples Financial Services (NASDAQ:PFIS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The financial services provider reported $1.69 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.48 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $48.44 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $46.75 million. Peoples Financial Services had a net margin of 11.80% and a return on equity of 12.20%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Peoples Financial Services Corp. will post 5.92 EPS for the current year.

Peoples Financial Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 29th were paid a dividend of $0.6175 per share. This represents a $2.47 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 29th. Peoples Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 73.73%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Richard S. Lochen, Jr. bought 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 6th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $47.67 per share, for a total transaction of $47,670.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 18,319 shares in the company, valued at $873,266.73. This trade represents a 5.77% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 4.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Peoples Financial Services

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its stake in Peoples Financial Services by 896.7% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,452 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $121,000 after purchasing an additional 2,206 shares during the last quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury acquired a new position in Peoples Financial Services during the 2nd quarter valued at $103,000. Fidelity D & D Bancorp Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Peoples Financial Services in the 2nd quarter valued at $213,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in shares of Peoples Financial Services by 59.1% in the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 969 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 360 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Peoples Financial Services by 28.8% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 12,145 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $600,000 after purchasing an additional 2,713 shares during the last quarter. 31.67% of the stock is currently 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.