Provident Financial (NASDAQ:PROV) Stock Price Crosses Above 200 Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Provident Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PROV - Get Free Report)'s stock price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $15.26 and traded as high as $15.98. Provident Financial shares last traded at $15.42, with a volume of 7,747 shares.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Wall Street Zen began coverage on shares of Provident Financial in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. They set a "hold" rating for the company.

Provident Financial Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $102.44 million, a P/E ratio of 16.82 and a beta of 0.34. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $14.84 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $15.26. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.91.

Provident Financial (NASDAQ:PROV - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The financial services provider reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.04. Provident Financial had a net margin of 10.39% and a return on equity of 4.81%. The business had revenue of $10.12 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.86 million. On average, equities analysts forecast that Provident Financial Holdings, Inc. will post 0.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Provident Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were paid a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.66%. Provident Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently 57.73%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Provident Financial

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Provident Financial by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 486,296 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $7,737,000 after buying an additional 1,342 shares during the period. M3F Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Provident Financial by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. M3F Inc. now owns 438,215 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $6,394,000 after acquiring an additional 2,215 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its holdings in shares of Provident Financial by 7.4% during the 4th quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 334,789 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $5,326,000 after acquiring an additional 23,117 shares during the last quarter. Fourthstone LLC raised its stake in Provident Financial by 30.5% in the 4th quarter. Fourthstone LLC now owns 90,080 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,433,000 after acquiring an additional 21,030 shares during the period. Finally, Black Maple Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in Provident Financial by 8.9% during the 4th quarter. Black Maple Capital Management LP now owns 31,128 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $495,000 after purchasing an additional 2,557 shares during the last quarter. 71.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Provident Financial

Provident Financial Holdings, Inc operates as the holding company for Provident Savings Bank, F.S.B. that provides community banking services to consumers and small to mid-sized businesses in the Inland Empire region of Southern California. The company's deposit products include checking, savings, and money market accounts, as well as time deposits; and loan portfolio consists of single-family, multi-family, commercial real estate, construction, mortgage, commercial business, and consumer loans.