Citizens Financial Services (NASDAQ:CZFS) Stock Rating Lowered by Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research downgraded Citizens Financial Services from “strong buy” to “hold,” although Weiss Ratings upgraded the stock to “buy.” The broader analyst consensus remains “Buy.”
• Citizens Financial Services reported quarterly earnings of $2.12 per share, exceeding the $1.98 consensus estimate, while revenue of $29.71 million also topped expectations.
• The stock opened at $76.38, near its 12-month high of $79.50, with a market capitalization of approximately $367 million. Institutional investors own 22.49% of the company, and several hedge funds recently increased their positions.

Citizens Financial Services (NASDAQ:CZFS - Get Free Report) was downgraded by research analysts at Zacks Research from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Separately, Weiss Ratings upgraded Citizens Financial Services from a "hold (c)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Citizens Financial Services presently has a consensus rating of "Buy".

Citizens Financial Services Stock Performance

Shares of CZFS opened at $76.38 on Wednesday. Citizens Financial Services has a 12 month low of $49.99 and a 12 month high of $79.50. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $69.86 and a 200-day moving average price of $65.69. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The firm has a market cap of $367.01 million, a PE ratio of 9.33 and a beta of 0.36.

Citizens Financial Services (NASDAQ:CZFS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.14. Citizens Financial Services had a return on equity of 11.89% and a net margin of 22.47%.The firm had revenue of $29.71 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $29.30 million. Equities research analysts predict that Citizens Financial Services will post 8.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Citizens Financial Services

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Lawood & Co. acquired a new stake in Citizens Financial Services during the fourth quarter worth about $612,000. Bailard Inc. acquired a new position in Citizens Financial Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $413,000. Strs Ohio lifted its holdings in Citizens Financial Services by 16.4% in the fourth quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 6,400 shares of the company's stock valued at $365,000 after acquiring an additional 900 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Citizens Financial Services by 12.5% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,591 shares of the company's stock valued at $277,000 after acquiring an additional 510 shares during the period. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in Citizens Financial Services by 67.6% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,103 shares of the company's stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 445 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 22.49% of the company's stock.

About Citizens Financial Services

Citizens Financial Services, Inc NASDAQ: CZFS is a bank holding company headquartered in Elderton, Pennsylvania, providing a range of retail and commercial banking services through its primary subsidiary, Citizens Savings Bank. The company offers deposit products such as checking and savings accounts, money market accounts and certificates of deposit, supported by online and mobile banking platforms tailored to personal and business clients.

Beyond deposit-taking, Citizens Financial Services underwrites a variety of lending products, including residential mortgage loans, home equity financing, commercial real estate loans, construction lending and consumer installment loans.

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