Peoples Financial Services (NASDAQ:PFIS) Stock Price Passes Below 200 Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Peoples Financial Services Corp. (NASDAQ:PFIS)’s share price passed below its two hundred day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $49.34 and traded as low as $40.09. Peoples Financial Services shares last traded at $40.67, with a volume of 19,910 shares changing hands.

Peoples Financial Services Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $407.98 million, a P/E ratio of 36.12 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 0.93. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $46.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $49.30.

Peoples Financial Services (NASDAQ:PFIS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The financial services provider reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.16 by ($0.17). Peoples Financial Services had a return on equity of 8.97% and a net margin of 3.70%. On average, analysts forecast that Peoples Financial Services Corp. will post 5.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Peoples Financial Services Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a dividend of $0.6175 per share. This represents a $2.47 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Peoples Financial Services’s payout ratio is currently 218.58%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Richard S. Lochen, Jr. bought 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $47.12 per share, with a total value of $47,120.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 17,129 shares in the company, valued at approximately $807,118.48. The trade was a 6.20 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 4.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Peoples Financial Services

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Peoples Financial Services by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 232,031 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $11,876,000 after acquiring an additional 9,889 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Peoples Financial Services by 14.9% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 211,451 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $9,914,000 after purchasing an additional 27,463 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Peoples Financial Services by 6.6% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 181,656 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $8,516,000 after purchasing an additional 11,236 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Peoples Financial Services by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 82,780 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,237,000 after purchasing an additional 1,618 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in shares of Peoples Financial Services by 20.6% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 52,100 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,666,000 after buying an additional 8,911 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 31.67% of the company’s stock.

About Peoples Financial Services

Peoples Financial Services Corp. operates as the bank holding company for Peoples Security Bank and Trust Company that provides various commercial and retail banking services. The company accepts money market, negotiable order of withdrawal, savings, individual retirement, demand deposit, and certificates of deposit accounts.