JPMorgan Chase & Co. Purchases 14,170 Shares of Peoples Financial Services Corp. (NASDAQ:PFIS)

JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in Peoples Financial Services Corp. (NASDAQ:PFIS - Free Report) by 69.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 34,612 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 14,170 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned 0.35% of Peoples Financial Services worth $1,771,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC bought a new stake in Peoples Financial Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,921,000. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Peoples Financial Services by 14.9% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 211,451 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $9,914,000 after acquiring an additional 27,463 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Peoples Financial Services in the fourth quarter worth $938,000. State Street Corp increased its stake in Peoples Financial Services by 6.6% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 181,656 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $8,516,000 after acquiring an additional 11,236 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC raised its position in Peoples Financial Services by 304.8% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 12,270 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $576,000 after purchasing an additional 9,239 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 31.67% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Richard S. Lochen, Jr. bought 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $47.12 per share, with a total value of $47,120.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 17,129 shares in the company, valued at $807,118.48. This represents a 6.20 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 4.10% of the company's stock.

Peoples Financial Services Price Performance

Shares of PFIS traded up $0.24 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $43.09. The stock had a trading volume of 18,694 shares, compared to its average volume of 23,396. The company has a market capitalization of $430.68 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.13 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Peoples Financial Services Corp. has a 12-month low of $37.41 and a 12-month high of $59.70. The company's 50-day moving average is $44.88 and its 200 day moving average is $49.12.

Peoples Financial Services (NASDAQ:PFIS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The financial services provider reported $0.99 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.16 by ($0.17). Peoples Financial Services had a net margin of 3.70% and a return on equity of 8.97%. On average, equities analysts predict that Peoples Financial Services Corp. will post 5.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Peoples Financial Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be paid a $0.6175 dividend. This represents a $2.47 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. Peoples Financial Services's dividend payout ratio is presently 218.58%.

About Peoples Financial Services

Peoples Financial Services Corp. operates as the bank holding company for Peoples Security Bank and Trust Company that provides various commercial and retail banking services. The company accepts money market, negotiable order of withdrawal, savings, individual retirement, demand deposit, and certificates of deposit accounts.