Premier Financial (NASDAQ:PFC) Reaches New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Shares of Premier Financial Corp. (NASDAQ:PFC) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $26.60 and last traded at $26.60, with a volume of 2830 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $24.94.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Janney Montgomery Scott reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Premier Financial in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $22.50.

Premier Financial Trading Up 13.7 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $1.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.66 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 0.97. The business has a 50 day moving average of $24.06 and a two-hundred day moving average of $22.39.

Premier Financial (NASDAQ:PFC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The company reported $0.46 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.50 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $112.74 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $64.55 million. Premier Financial had a return on equity of 7.51% and a net margin of 16.06%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.69 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Premier Financial Corp. will post 2 EPS for the current year.

Premier Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.37%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. Premier Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 62.94%.

Insider Activity at Premier Financial

In other news, EVP Dennis E. Rose, Jr. sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.01, for a total value of $50,020.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 38,114 shares in the company, valued at approximately $953,231.14. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Premier Financial news, EVP Dennis E. Rose, Jr. sold 2,000 shares of Premier Financial stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.01, for a total transaction of $50,020.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 38,114 shares in the company, valued at approximately $953,231.14. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Donald P. Hileman sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.64, for a total value of $35,460.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 28,311 shares in the company, valued at approximately $669,272.04. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Versor Investments LP grew its stake in shares of Premier Financial by 538.1% in the 3rd quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 68,431 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,607,000 after buying an additional 57,707 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of Premier Financial during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Premier Financial by 22.7% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 24,573 shares of the company’s stock worth $577,000 after acquiring an additional 4,542 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Premier Financial by 12.3% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 21,837 shares of the company’s stock worth $505,000 after acquiring an additional 2,389 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in Premier Financial by 37.0% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 289,616 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,800,000 after acquiring an additional 78,160 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 66.14% of the company’s stock.

Premier Financial Company Profile

Premier Financial Corp., through its subsidiaries, provides various banking services. It offers demand, checking, money market, and savings accounts, as well as certificates of deposits and certificates of deposit account registry service; and investment products. The company also provides residential and commercial real estate, commercial, construction, home improvement and home equity, installment, and consumer loans.