Peoples Financial Services (NASDAQ:PFIS) Rating Lowered to "Hold" at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Peoples Financial Services (NASDAQ:PFIS - Free Report) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday morning.

Peoples Financial Services Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of PFIS traded down $0.52 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $51.57. The stock had a trading volume of 66,558 shares, compared to its average volume of 24,343. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The firm has a market cap of $515.74 million, a PE ratio of 24.16 and a beta of 0.75. The stock's 50 day moving average is $49.22 and its 200 day moving average is $47.94. Peoples Financial Services has a 1 year low of $38.90 and a 1 year high of $59.70.

Peoples Financial Services (NASDAQ:PFIS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The financial services provider reported $1.51 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $62.43 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $44.35 million. Peoples Financial Services had a net margin of 7.83% and a return on equity of 10.37%. As a group, analysts forecast that Peoples Financial Services will post 5.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Peoples Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th were given a $0.6175 dividend. This represents a $2.47 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 30th. Peoples Financial Services's payout ratio is 115.96%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Peoples Financial Services

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in shares of Peoples Financial Services by 20.6% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 52,100 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,666,000 after purchasing an additional 8,911 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Peoples Financial Services by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 26,345 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,348,000 after purchasing an additional 704 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Peoples Financial Services in the fourth quarter valued at $938,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Peoples Financial Services by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 51,084 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,614,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its position in Peoples Financial Services by 8.3% during the fourth 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 period. 31.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.