Peoples Financial Services (NASDAQ:PFIS) Rating Increased to Hold at StockNews.com

Peoples Financial Services (NASDAQ:PFIS) was upgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Saturday.

Peoples Financial Services Stock Performance

PFIS opened at $46.45 on Friday. Peoples Financial Services has a 1-year low of $36.26 and a 1-year high of $51.00. The stock has a market cap of $463.57 million, a P/E ratio of 14.25 and a beta of 0.51. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $46.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $42.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.92.

Peoples Financial Services (NASDAQ:PFIS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $41.92 million during the quarter. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Peoples Financial Services will post 3.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Peoples Financial Services

In other news, Director Richard S. Lochen, Jr. bought 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $43.90 per share, with a total value of $43,900.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 15,555 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $682,864.50. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In the last 90 days, insiders have purchased 1,604 shares of company stock valued at $73,008. 4.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Peoples Financial Services

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its stake in 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 valued at $398,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its holdings in shares of Peoples Financial Services by 14.5% during the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 12,450 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $567,000 after acquiring an additional 1,576 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in shares of Peoples Financial Services by 87.7% in the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 3,400 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $147,000 after acquiring an additional 1,589 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in Peoples Financial Services by 7.8% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 26,612 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,147,000 after purchasing an additional 1,925 shares during the period. Finally, Quadrature Capital Ltd increased its position in 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 worth $460,000 after purchasing an additional 3,409 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.