Citizens Financial Services (NASDAQ:CZFS) Shares Up 0.7% - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• Shares rose 0.7% to $79.14, although trading volume was below average. The company has a $380.66 million market capitalization, a P/E ratio of 9.26 and a 200-day moving average of $71.48.
• Citizens Financial Services exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting earnings of $2.12 per share versus the $1.98 consensus estimate and revenue of $29.71 million. Analysts collectively maintain a “Buy” consensus, though some firms recently downgraded the stock to “Hold.”
• The company paid a quarterly dividend of $0.51 per share, representing an annualized dividend of $2.04 and a 2.6% yield. Institutional investors own approximately 22.49% of the stock.

Citizens Financial Services Inc. (NASDAQ:CZFS - Get Free Report)'s stock price rose 0.7% on Thursday. The stock traded as high as $79.19 and last traded at $79.14. Approximately 34,193 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 8% from the average daily volume of 37,338 shares. The stock had previously closed at $78.61.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Citizens Financial Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Citizens Financial Services from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Monday, September 21st. Finally, Zacks Research cut Citizens Financial Services from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy".

Citizens Financial Services Stock Up 0.7%

The business's 50 day simple moving average is $80.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $71.48. The company has a market capitalization of $380.66 million, a PE ratio of 9.26 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12.

Citizens Financial Services (NASDAQ:CZFS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.98 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $29.71 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $29.30 million. Citizens Financial Services had a net margin of 23.31% and a return on equity of 12.06%. As a group, analysts forecast that Citizens Financial Services Inc. will post 8.72 EPS for the current year.

Citizens Financial Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 11th were given a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 11th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. Citizens Financial Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.86%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of CZFS. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in shares of Citizens Financial Services during the 2nd quarter worth $35,000. Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in Citizens Financial Services by 127.7% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,018 shares of the company's stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 571 shares during the last quarter. NBT Bank N A NY increased its holdings in shares of Citizens Financial Services by 2,022.8% during the 1st quarter. NBT Bank N A NY now owns 1,210 shares of the company's stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 1,153 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new position in shares of Citizens Financial Services during the second quarter valued at about $327,000. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Citizens Financial Services during the second quarter valued at about $463,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 22.49% of the company's stock.

About Citizens Financial Services

Citizens Financial Services, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in Mansfield, Pennsylvania. It operates primarily through its subsidiary, First Citizens Community Bank, which provides banking and financial services to individuals, families, businesses and organizations.

First Citizens Community Bank offers deposit accounts, consumer and commercial loans, mortgages, home equity financing, agricultural lending, cash-management services and other business banking solutions. The bank also provides wealth management, trust and investment services, along with insurance and related financial products through its community banking platform.

The company traces its banking operations to 1932 and serves communities in north-central Pennsylvania and neighboring areas of southern New York through branches and other delivery channels.

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