Peoples Financial Services (NASDAQ:PFIS) Price Target Raised to $75.00

Key Points

• Hovde Group raised Peoples Financial Services’ price target to $75 from $61 while maintaining a “market perform” rating, implying 6.72% potential upside from the previous close.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: one analyst rates the stock a Buy and two rate it Hold, resulting in a consensus “Hold” rating and an average target price of $65.50.
• Peoples Financial Services reported quarterly EPS of $1.48, below the $1.64 consensus estimate, while revenue of $52.14 million was slightly below expectations; the stock opened at $70.28 and has a market value of approximately $703.5 million.

Peoples Financial Services (NASDAQ:PFIS - Get Free Report) had its price objective increased by equities researchers at Hovde Group from $61.00 to $75.00 in a research report issued on Tuesday. The firm presently has a "market perform" rating on the financial services provider's stock. Hovde Group's price objective would indicate a potential upside of 6.72% from the company's previous close.

Separately, Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Peoples Financial Services in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $65.50.

Peoples Financial Services Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:PFIS opened at $70.28 on Tuesday. Peoples Financial Services has a 52 week low of $43.64 and a 52 week high of $73.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 0.98. The company's fifty day moving average is $65.12 and its 200-day moving average is $58.55. The company has a market capitalization of $703.50 million, a PE ratio of 7.96 and a beta of 0.75.

Peoples Financial Services (NASDAQ:PFIS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.64 by ($0.16). The firm had revenue of $52.14 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $52.35 million. Peoples Financial Services had a return on equity of 17.42% and a net margin of 20.66%.

Institutional Trading of Peoples Financial Services

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Russell Investments Group Ltd. acquired a new position in Peoples Financial Services during the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Peoples Financial Services in the second quarter worth about $44,000. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co lifted its holdings in shares of Peoples Financial Services by 27.7% during the 4th quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 941 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in Peoples Financial Services by 59.1% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 969 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 360 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio bought a new position in Peoples Financial Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $63,000. 31.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Peoples Financial Services Company Profile

Peoples Financial Services Corporation is the bank holding company for PeoplesBank, a community-focused commercial bank headquartered in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, PeoplesBank, PFIS offers a full suite of banking services to individuals, small businesses, and commercial clients. These services include deposit accounts, consumer and residential mortgage lending, commercial and industrial lending, and treasury management solutions.

Founded in 1842, PeoplesBank has grown organically and through selective acquisitions to become a prominent community bank in Western Massachusetts and Northern Connecticut.

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