Peoples Financial Services (NASDAQ:PFIS) Hits New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

Shares of Peoples Financial Services Corp. (NASDAQ:PFIS) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $56.00 and last traded at $56.00, with a volume of 3844 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $54.85.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on PFIS shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Peoples Financial Services from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Hovde Group increased their price target on shares of Peoples Financial Services from $48.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th.

Peoples Financial Services Stock Up 1.7 %

The firm has a market cap of $557.52 million, a PE ratio of 53.25 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 0.93. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $48.20 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $44.92.

Peoples Financial Services (NASDAQ:PFIS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.64 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.56. Peoples Financial Services had a net margin of 3.00% and a return on equity of 7.73%. The firm had revenue of $74.01 million during the quarter. On average, analysts predict that Peoples Financial Services Corp. will post 3.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Peoples Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th will be given a $0.618 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. This represents a $2.47 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.43%. Peoples Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio is 239.81%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Peoples Financial Services

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 1,589 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Peoples Financial Services during the third quarter valued at $149,000. RBF Capital LLC bought a new stake in Peoples Financial Services in the third quarter worth $342,000. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 worth $398,000 after acquiring an additional 220 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quadrature Capital Ltd increased 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 in the last quarter. 31.67% of the stock is 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.