Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Sells 10,301 Shares of Premier Financial Corp. (NASDAQ:PFC)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC decreased its position in shares of Premier Financial Corp. (NASDAQ:PFC) by 42.3% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 14,080 shares of the company’s stock after selling 10,301 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Premier Financial were worth $288,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Premier Financial during the first quarter worth about $30,000. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Premier Financial in the second quarter worth about $36,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC bought a new position in shares of Premier Financial in the second quarter worth about $84,000. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Premier Financial by 296.8% in the second 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% in the first 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. Institutional investors own 66.14% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Premier Financial Stock Down 1.8 %

PFC stock opened at $23.44 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $839.46 million, a P/E ratio of 7.56 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. Premier Financial Corp. has a 12 month low of $15.79 and a 12 month high of $26.40. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $24.37 and a 200-day moving average price of $21.50.

Premier Financial (NASDAQ:PFC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.51 by ($0.06). The business had revenue of $110.55 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $63.20 million. Premier Financial had a net margin of 18.07% and a return on equity of 8.19%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.68 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Premier Financial Corp. will post 1.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Premier Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 9th were issued a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 9th. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.29%. Premier Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.00%.

Insider Activity at Premier Financial

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

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.