JPMorgan Chase & Co. Increases Stock Position in Peoples Financial Services Corp. (NASDAQ:PFIS)

JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Peoples Financial Services Corp. (NASDAQ:PFIS - Free Report) by 69.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 34,612 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 14,170 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned 0.35% of Peoples Financial Services worth $1,771,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of Peoples Financial Services by 21.6% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,873 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $198,000 after buying an additional 688 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in shares of Peoples Financial Services by 304.8% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 12,270 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $576,000 after purchasing an additional 9,239 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp raised its stake in shares of Peoples Financial Services by 60.2% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 12,308 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $577,000 after purchasing an additional 4,627 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its holdings in shares of Peoples Financial Services by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 13,182 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $675,000 after purchasing an additional 518 shares during the period. Finally, Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its position in Peoples Financial Services by 8.3% in the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 14,080 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $721,000 after buying an additional 1,082 shares during the last quarter. 31.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Peoples Financial Services Stock Performance

PFIS traded down $0.49 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $43.22. The stock had a trading volume of 19,259 shares, compared to its average volume of 23,485. The firm has a market capitalization of $431.98 million, a P/E ratio of 38.25 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 0.93. Peoples Financial Services Corp. has a twelve month low of $37.41 and a twelve month high of $59.70. The company's 50-day moving average price is $44.59 and its 200 day moving average price is $49.05.

Peoples Financial Services (NASDAQ:PFIS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The financial services provider reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.16 by ($0.17). Peoples Financial Services had a return on equity of 8.97% and a net margin of 3.70%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Peoples Financial Services Corp. will post 5.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Peoples Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be issued a $0.6175 dividend. This represents a $2.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.71%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. Peoples Financial Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 218.58%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Richard S. Lochen, Jr. purchased 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $47.12 per share, with a total value of $47,120.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 17,129 shares of the company's stock, valued at $807,118.48. This represents a 6.20 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 4.10% of the company's stock.

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.