Premier Financial (NASDAQ:PFC) Sets New 1-Year High – Time to Buy?

Premier Financial Corp. (NASDAQ:PFC)’s share price reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $29.51 and last traded at $29.51, with a volume of 1102 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $28.85.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Janney Montgomery Scott restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Premier Financial in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $22.50.

Premier Financial Trading Up 0.9 %

The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $25.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $23.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The company has a market capitalization of $1.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.64 and a beta of 1.25.

Premier Financial (NASDAQ:PFC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The company reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.50 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $112.74 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $64.55 million. Premier Financial had a return on equity of 7.43% and a net margin of 16.06%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.69 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Premier Financial Corp. will post 2 EPS for the current year.

Premier Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. Premier Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.94%.

Insider Activity at Premier Financial

In other Premier Financial news, EVP Dennis E. Rose, Jr. sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.98, for a total transaction of $55,960.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 36,144 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,011,309.12. The trade was a 5.24 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 2.22% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Premier Financial

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Citigroup Inc. lifted its holdings in Premier Financial by 2,017.1% in the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 751,923 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,655,000 after acquiring an additional 716,406 shares during the period. EJF Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Premier Financial by 490.8% in the 1st quarter. EJF Capital LLC now owns 158,633 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,220,000 after purchasing an additional 131,783 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Premier Financial by 66.0% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 326,667 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,684,000 after purchasing an additional 129,913 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in Premier Financial by 18.0% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 656,177 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,425,000 after buying an additional 100,198 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in Premier Financial by 61.1% during the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 211,456 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,326,000 after buying an additional 80,217 shares during the period. 66.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Premier Financial Company Profile

Premier Financial Corp., through its subsidiaries, provides various banking services. It offers demand, checking, money market, and savings accounts, as well as certificates of deposits and certificates of deposit account registry service; and investment products. The company also provides residential and commercial real estate, commercial, construction, home improvement and home equity, installment, and consumer loans.