Community Financial System, Inc. (NYSE:CBU) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Community Financial System, Inc. (NYSE:CBU) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $69.75.

Several analysts have commented on the company. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on Community Financial System from $62.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Community Financial System from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. Raymond James Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $75.00 price target on shares of Community Financial System in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Community Financial System from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd.

Community Financial System Trading Up 0.5%

CBU stock opened at $67.09 on Friday. Community Financial System has a 52-week low of $51.12 and a 52-week high of $71.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The firm has a market cap of $3.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.29 and a beta of 0.77. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $65.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $62.95.

Community Financial System (NYSE:CBU) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The bank reported $1.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $213.69 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $216.36 million. Community Financial System had a return on equity of 11.24% and a net margin of 21.26%.Community Financial System’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.98 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Community Financial System will post 4.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Community Financial System Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.49 per share. This is a boost from Community Financial System’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Community Financial System’s payout ratio is currently 45.63%.

Insider Transactions at Community Financial System

In other Community Financial System news, Director Eric Stickels sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.98, for a total transaction of $127,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 31,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,021,256.16. This represents a 5.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Mark J. Bolus sold 12,191 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.00, for a total value of $816,797.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 94,060 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,302,020. This trade represents a 11.47% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 1.15% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Community Financial System

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. IFP Advisors Inc raised its stake in Community Financial System by 507.0% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 522 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 436 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Community Financial System by 38.4% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 541 shares of the bank’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Community Financial System by 177.0% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 781 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 499 shares during the last quarter. Lipe & Dalton acquired a new position in Community Financial System during the fourth quarter worth about $52,000. Finally, Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in Community Financial System during the 1st quarter valued at about $102,000. 73.79% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Community Financial System

Community Financial System (NYSE: CBU) is the bank holding company for Community Bank, National Association, a full-service commercial bank headquartered in DeWitt, New York. Through its principal subsidiary, the company offers a range of banking and financial services designed to meet the needs of both consumer and business clients. Its organizational structure centers on community-based banking operations supported by centralized technology, risk management and administrative functions.

The company’s product offerings include deposit accounts, residential and commercial mortgage loans, commercial and consumer lending, treasury and cash management services, and electronic banking.