Peoples Financial Services (NASDAQ:PFIS) Stock Passes Below Fifty Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Peoples Financial Services shares fell below their 50-day moving average, trading near $69.96 versus the $70.35 average, which may signal weakening short-term momentum.
• Analysts have a consensus “Hold” rating and a $65.50 target price, despite one analyst raising its target to $75; the company also recently missed quarterly EPS estimates, reporting $1.48 versus $1.64 expected.
• The bank holding company continues to offer shareholder income through a $0.625 quarterly dividend, equivalent to a $2.50 annualized payout and a 3.6% yield.

Peoples Financial Services Corp. (NASDAQ:PFIS - Get Free Report)'s share price crossed below its 50 day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of $70.35 and traded as low as $69.94. Peoples Financial Services shares last traded at $69.96, with a volume of 59,074 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Hovde Group lifted their price target on shares of Peoples Financial Services from $61.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Peoples Financial Services in a research note on Friday, September 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Peoples Financial Services presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $65.50.

Peoples Financial Services Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $70.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $62.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $700.30 million, a P/E ratio of 7.92 and a beta of 0.74.

Peoples Financial Services (NASDAQ:PFIS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.64 by ($0.16). The firm had revenue of $97.74 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $52.35 million. Peoples Financial Services had a net margin of 20.66% and a return on equity of 17.27%.

Peoples Financial Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 31st were given a dividend of $0.625 per share. This represents a $2.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 31st. Peoples Financial Services's payout ratio is 28.31%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in Peoples Financial Services in the 2nd quarter valued at $61,000. Ieq Capital LLC bought a new position in Peoples Financial Services during the second quarter worth $201,000. Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Peoples Financial Services during the second quarter worth $215,000. Man Group plc acquired a new position in shares of Peoples Financial Services in the second quarter valued at $233,000. Finally, Archer Investment Corp acquired a new position in shares of Peoples Financial Services in the first quarter valued at $267,000. 31.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Peoples Financial Services Company Profile

Peoples Financial Services Corp. is the bank holding company for Peoples Security Bank and Trust Company, a community banking institution headquartered in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Through its banking subsidiary, the company provides financial services to individuals, families, businesses and nonprofit organizations.

Peoples Security Bank and Trust offers deposit accounts, consumer and residential real estate loans, commercial lending, mortgage products, cash management services and other traditional banking solutions.

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