Ethic Inc. Has $14.75 Million Stock Holdings in The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:PNC)

Ethic Inc. lifted its stake in The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:PNC - Free Report) by 11.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 76,493 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 7,633 shares during the period. Ethic Inc.'s holdings in The PNC Financial Services Group were worth $14,752,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in The PNC Financial Services Group by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 37,717,367 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $7,273,794,000 after acquiring an additional 268,827 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in The PNC Financial Services Group by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 10,835,480 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,089,622,000 after purchasing an additional 549,278 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in The PNC Financial Services Group by 10.7% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 7,538,310 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,453,763,000 after purchasing an additional 726,115 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in The PNC Financial Services Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,352,151,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in The PNC Financial Services Group by 14.9% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 4,695,514 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $905,530,000 after buying an additional 608,375 shares during the last quarter. 83.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on PNC. Barclays reduced their target price on The PNC Financial Services Group from $257.00 to $235.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on The PNC Financial Services Group from $212.50 to $189.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Citigroup decreased their target price on The PNC Financial Services Group from $235.00 to $200.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 24th. Hsbc Global Res raised The PNC Financial Services Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of The PNC Financial Services Group from $179.00 to $178.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $200.88.

The PNC Financial Services Group Trading Down 0.2%

The PNC Financial Services Group stock traded down $0.29 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $166.44. 1,671,199 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,024,893. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.84 billion, a PE ratio of 12.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $164.74 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $186.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $145.12 and a 52 week high of $216.26.

The PNC Financial Services Group (NYSE:PNC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The financial services provider reported $3.51 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.47 by $0.04. The PNC Financial Services Group had a net margin of 17.10% and a return on equity of 11.12%. The company had revenue of $5.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.50 billion. Equities research analysts anticipate that The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 15.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The PNC Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 16th were issued a $1.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 16th. This represents a $6.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.85%. The PNC Financial Services Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.20%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Martin Pfinsgraff bought 1,000 shares of The PNC Financial Services Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 25th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $158.22 per share, with a total value of $158,220.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 2,009 shares in the company, valued at approximately $317,863.98. This trade represents a 99.11% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO William S. Demchak sold 1,242 shares of The PNC Financial Services Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.18, for a total value of $236,203.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 569,783 shares in the company, valued at $108,361,330.94. This represents a 0.22% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 13,662 shares of company stock worth $2,322,006 over the last ninety days. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

The PNC Financial Services Group Company Profile

The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc operates as a diversified financial services company in the United States. It operates through three segments: Retail Banking, Corporate & Institutional Banking, and Asset Management Group segments. The company's Retail Banking segment offers checking, savings, and money market accounts, as well as time deposit; residential mortgages, home equity loans and lines of credit, auto loans, credit cards, education loans, and personal and small business loans and lines of credit; and brokerage, insurance, and investment and cash management services.