The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:PNC) Shares Acquired by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:PNC - Free Report) by 5.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 10,835,480 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 549,278 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 2.73% of The PNC Financial Services Group worth $2,089,622,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Winch Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of The PNC Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. grew its position in The PNC Financial Services Group by 2,333.3% during the 4th quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 146 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new position in The PNC Financial Services Group in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The PNC Financial Services Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The PNC Financial Services Group during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.53% of the company's stock.

The PNC Financial Services Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE PNC traded down $8.78 during trading on Friday, reaching $152.51. The company had a trading volume of 1,893,063 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,895,681. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $60.36 billion, a PE ratio of 11.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.04. The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $143.52 and a twelve month high of $216.26. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $185.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $191.86.

The PNC Financial Services Group (NYSE:PNC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.26 by $0.51. The company had revenue of $5.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.51 billion. The PNC Financial Services Group had a net margin of 17.10% and a return on equity of 11.12%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.16 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 15.37 earnings per share for the current year.

The PNC Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 16th will be paid a $1.60 dividend. This represents a $6.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.20%. The PNC Financial Services Group's payout ratio is currently 46.55%.

Insider Buying and Selling at The PNC Financial Services Group

In other The PNC Financial Services Group news, CEO William S. Demchak sold 1,242 shares of The PNC Financial Services Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.88, for a total value of $239,556.96. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 526,313 shares in the company, valued at $101,515,251.44. The trade was a 0.24 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In the last three months, insiders sold 12,420 shares of company stock worth $2,320,739. Insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PNC has been the subject of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on The PNC Financial Services Group from $199.00 to $208.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on The PNC Financial Services Group from $211.00 to $188.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. HSBC raised shares of The PNC Financial Services Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $206.00 to $202.00 in a research note on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of The PNC Financial Services Group from $235.00 to $230.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 28th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of The PNC Financial Services Group from $229.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $205.18.

The PNC Financial Services Group Profile

The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc operates as a diversified financial services company in the United States. It operates through three segments: Retail Banking, Corporate & Institutional Banking, and Asset Management Group segments. The company's Retail Banking segment offers checking, savings, and money market accounts, as well as time deposit; residential mortgages, home equity loans and lines of credit, auto loans, credit cards, education loans, and personal and small business loans and lines of credit; and brokerage, insurance, and investment and cash management services.