Premier Financial (NASDAQ:PFC) Reaches New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Shares of Premier Financial Corp. (NASDAQ:PFC) reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $26.60 and last traded at $26.60, with a volume of 2830 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $24.94.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Premier Financial Trading Down 4.2 %

The stock has a market cap of $982.02 million, a PE ratio of 13.94 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 0.97. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $24.14 and a 200 day moving average price of $22.47.

Premier Financial (NASDAQ:PFC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The company reported $0.46 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.50 by ($0.04). Premier Financial had a return on equity of 7.51% and a net margin of 16.06%. The firm had revenue of $112.74 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $64.55 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.69 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Premier Financial Corp. will post 2 EPS for the current year.

Premier Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th will be given a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. Premier Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.94%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Donald P. Hileman sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.64, for a total transaction of $35,460.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 28,311 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $669,272.04. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, EVP Dennis E. Rose, Jr. sold 2,000 shares of Premier Financial stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.01, for a total transaction of $50,020.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 38,114 shares in the company, valued at approximately $953,231.14. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Donald P. Hileman sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.64, for a total transaction of $35,460.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 28,311 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $669,272.04. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Premier Financial

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PFC. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in shares of Premier Financial during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Premier Financial during the second quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC purchased a new position in shares of Premier Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at $84,000. CWM LLC grew its stake in Premier Financial by 296.8% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 6,480 shares of the company’s stock valued at $133,000 after purchasing an additional 4,847 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EMC Capital Management boosted its holdings in shares of Premier Financial by 56.9% in the 1st quarter. EMC Capital Management now owns 8,392 shares of the company’s stock valued at $170,000 after buying an additional 3,043 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 66.14% of the company’s stock.

About Premier Financial

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.