Peoples Financial Services (NASDAQ:PFIS) Downgraded by StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of Peoples Financial Services (NASDAQ:PFIS) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report released on Monday.

PFIS has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Stephens lowered their target price on Peoples Financial Services from $50.00 to $47.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 13th. Hovde Group decreased their price target on shares of Peoples Financial Services from $48.00 to $43.00 and set a market perform rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 6th.

Peoples Financial Services Price Performance

NASDAQ PFIS opened at $41.19 on Monday. Peoples Financial Services has a 52 week low of $36.26 and a 52 week high of $49.99. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The stock has a market cap of $290.80 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.64 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $38.93 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $41.91.

Peoples Financial Services (NASDAQ:PFIS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $22.72 million during the quarter. Peoples Financial Services had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 7.52%. Analysts forecast that Peoples Financial Services will post 3.16 EPS for the current year.

Peoples Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 14th. Investors of record on Friday, May 31st were given a $0.41 dividend. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.98%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 31st. Peoples Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.31%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Peoples Financial Services

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of PFIS. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position 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 in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Peoples Financial Services by 7.7% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,739 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $182,000 after acquiring an additional 268 shares during the period. Trexquant Investment LP bought a new stake in shares of Peoples Financial Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $281,000. Fidelity D & D Bancorp Inc. acquired a new position in Peoples Financial Services during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $333,000. Finally, Quadrature Capital Ltd acquired a new position in Peoples Financial Services in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $355,000. 31.67% of the stock is owned by 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.