Provident Financial (NASDAQ:PROV) Stock Crosses Above 200 Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Provident Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PROV) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $14.32 and traded as high as $16.01. Provident Financial shares last traded at $15.91, with a volume of 4,763 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PROV has been the subject of several research reports. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Provident Financial in a research note on Saturday. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Provident Financial from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th.

Provident Financial Stock Down 1.4 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $107.60 million, a P/E ratio of 14.60 and a beta of 0.38. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $15.90 and a 200-day moving average price of $14.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.25.

Provident Financial (NASDAQ:PROV) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The financial services provider reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.03. Provident Financial had a return on equity of 5.78% and a net margin of 12.58%. The business had revenue of $14.97 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.74 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.25 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Provident Financial Holdings, Inc. will post 1.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Provident Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 14th were issued a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 14th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.52%. Provident Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.38%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Provident Financial

A hedge fund recently bought a new stake in Provident Financial stock. Fourthstone LLC bought a new position in Provident Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PROV) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 69,050 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $991,000. Fourthstone LLC owned about 1.02% of Provident Financial at the end of the most recent reporting period. 71.34% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Provident Financial Company Profile

Provident Financial Holdings, Inc operates as the holding company for Provident Savings Bank, F.S.B. that provides community banking services to consumers and small to mid-sized businesses in the Inland Empire region of Southern California. The company's deposit products include checking, savings, and money market accounts, as well as time deposits; and loan portfolio consists of single-family, multi-family, commercial real estate, construction, mortgage, commercial business, and consumer loans.