Peoples Financial Services (NASDAQ:PFIS) Rating Lowered to “Sell” at StockNews.com

Peoples Financial Services (NASDAQ:PFIS) was downgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note issued on Wednesday.

Peoples Financial Services Stock Performance

NASDAQ:PFIS traded up $0.50 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $47.94. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 6,204 shares, compared to its average volume of 16,688. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The stock has a market cap of $478.44 million, a P/E ratio of 19.89 and a beta of 0.51. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $46.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $43.49. Peoples Financial Services has a 12-month low of $36.26 and a 12-month high of $51.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Richard S. Lochen, Jr. purchased 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $43.90 per share, with a total value of $43,900.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 15,555 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $682,864.50. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 4.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Peoples Financial Services

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in PFIS. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Peoples Financial Services by 413.0% during the third quarter. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 38,632 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,811,000 after buying an additional 31,102 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Peoples Financial Services by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 191,934 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $8,740,000 after purchasing an additional 9,122 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in Peoples Financial Services by 19.9% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 47,178 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,148,000 after purchasing an additional 7,831 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Peoples Financial Services by 2.1% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 322,786 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $13,915,000 after purchasing an additional 6,776 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quadrature Capital Ltd lifted its position in Peoples Financial Services by 46.7% during the first quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd now owns 10,707 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $460,000 after purchasing an additional 3,409 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 31.67% of the company’s stock.

Peoples Financial Services Company Profile

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.