Citizens Financial Services (NASDAQ:CZFS) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Citizens Financial Services from “hold” to “buy.” The overall analyst consensus is “Moderate Buy,” with one Buy and one Hold rating reported.
• The bank beat quarterly estimates, reporting EPS of $2.48 versus $2.20 expected and revenue of $31.57 million versus $31.00 million expected.
• Shares opened at $84.87, down 1.4%; the company had a market capitalization of $408.22 million and a 52-week range of $53.14 to $88.88.

Citizens Financial Services (NASDAQ:CZFS - Get Free Report) was upgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other research firms have also commented on CZFS. Weiss Ratings raised Citizens Financial Services from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Monday, September 21st. Zacks Research lowered Citizens Financial Services from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

Citizens Financial Services Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of Citizens Financial Services stock opened at $84.87 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $408.22 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.62 and a beta of 0.38. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $81.59 and a 200-day simple moving average of $71.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.01. Citizens Financial Services has a 52-week low of $53.14 and a 52-week high of $88.88.

Citizens Financial Services (NASDAQ:CZFS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 30th. The company reported $2.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $31.57 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.00 million. Citizens Financial Services had a net margin of 23.90% and a return on equity of 12.46%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Citizens Financial Services will post 9.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Citizens Financial Services

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Citizens & Northern Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Citizens Financial Services by 1.5% in the third quarter. Citizens & Northern Corp now owns 118,860 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,344,000 after purchasing an additional 1,797 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Citizens Financial Services by 309.6% during the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 9,978 shares of the company's stock valued at $784,000 after acquiring an additional 7,542 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in shares of Citizens Financial Services by 429.2% in the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 889 shares of the company's stock valued at $70,000 after buying an additional 721 shares in the last quarter. Hudock Inc. lifted its holdings in Citizens Financial Services by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Hudock Inc. now owns 79,603 shares of the company's stock worth $6,258,000 after buying an additional 1,511 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in shares of Citizens Financial Services during the 2nd quarter worth about $495,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 22.49% of the company's stock.

About Citizens Financial Services

Citizens Financial Services, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in Mansfield, Pennsylvania. It operates through its principal subsidiary, First Citizens Community Bank, which provides financial services to individuals, families, businesses and organizations.

The bank offers deposit accounts, consumer and commercial lending, residential mortgages, business banking, cash-management services, online and mobile banking, wealth management and trust services. Its lending activities include real estate, agricultural, commercial and consumer loans.

Founded in 1932, First Citizens Community Bank serves communities in central and northern Pennsylvania and southern New York through branch locations and digital banking channels.

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