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

Premier Financial Corp. (NASDAQ:PFC) reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $29.15 and last traded at $29.03, with a volume of 16330 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $28.43.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Premier Financial Stock Down 0.2 %

The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The company has a market cap of $1.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.35 and a beta of 1.25. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $24.54 and its 200-day moving average price is $22.78.

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

Premier Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be paid a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.39%. Premier Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.94%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Premier Financial

In related news, EVP Dennis E. Rose, Jr. sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.01, for a total value of $50,020.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 38,114 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $953,231.14. This trade represents a 4.99 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 2.22% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of Premier Financial during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Premier Financial during the 2nd quarter worth $36,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC bought a new stake in shares of Premier Financial during the 2nd quarter worth $84,000. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Premier Financial by 296.8% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 6,480 shares of the company’s stock worth $133,000 after acquiring an additional 4,847 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EMC Capital Management lifted its holdings in shares of Premier Financial by 56.9% during the 1st quarter. EMC Capital Management now owns 8,392 shares of the company’s stock worth $170,000 after acquiring an additional 3,043 shares during the last quarter. 66.14% of the stock is owned by 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.