Community Financial System, Inc. (NYSE:CBU) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Community Financial System has an average analyst rating of “Moderate Buy” from six covering firms, with a consensus 12-month price target of $69.75.
• The company recently beat quarterly earnings estimates, reporting $1.15 EPS versus the expected $1.10, while revenue rose 8.7% year over year to $213.69 million.
• Community Financial System also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.47 per share, implying an annualized payout of $1.88 and a yield of about 2.9%.

Community Financial System, Inc. (NYSE:CBU - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the six research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $69.75.

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Community Financial System from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 21st. DA Davidson assumed coverage on shares of Community Financial System in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $72.00 price objective on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Community Financial System from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Raymond James Financial restated a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $75.00 price objective on shares of Community Financial System in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott cut shares of Community Financial System from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th.

Institutional Trading of Community Financial System

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Community Financial System by 17.0% during the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 114,362 shares of the bank's stock worth $6,706,000 after purchasing an additional 16,581 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in Community Financial System by 2,430.6% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 168,892 shares of the bank's stock worth $9,701,000 after purchasing an additional 162,218 shares in the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its holdings in Community Financial System by 14.4% during the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 206,169 shares of the bank's stock worth $12,090,000 after purchasing an additional 26,002 shares in the last quarter. Numerai GP LLC acquired a new stake in Community Financial System during the third quarter worth approximately $4,117,000. Finally, Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. raised its holdings in Community Financial System by 692.8% during the third quarter. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. now owns 47,787 shares of the bank's stock worth $2,802,000 after purchasing an additional 41,759 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.79% of the company's stock.

Community Financial System Price Performance

Shares of CBU opened at $63.94 on Monday. Community Financial System has a twelve month low of $51.12 and a twelve month high of $67.50. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $60.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $60.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.52 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

Community Financial System (NYSE:CBU - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The bank reported $1.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.05. Community Financial System had a net margin of 21.26% and a return on equity of 11.24%. The business had revenue of $213.69 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $216.36 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.98 EPS. The company's revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Community Financial System will post 4.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Community Financial System Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.47 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. Community Financial System's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.63%.

Community Financial System Company Profile

Community Financial System NYSE: CBU is the bank holding company for Community Bank, National Association, a full-service commercial bank headquartered in DeWitt, New York. Through its principal subsidiary, the company offers a range of banking and financial services designed to meet the needs of both consumer and business clients. Its organizational structure centers on community-based banking operations supported by centralized technology, risk management and administrative functions.

The company's product offerings include deposit accounts, residential and commercial mortgage loans, commercial and consumer lending, treasury and cash management services, and electronic banking.

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