Premier Financial Corp. (NASDAQ:PFC) Shares Bought by Assenagon Asset Management S.A.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in Premier Financial Corp. (NASDAQ:PFC - Free Report) by 37.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 289,616 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 78,160 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned 0.81% of Premier Financial worth $6,800,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC lifted its position in Premier Financial by 8.5% during the 1st quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 13,564 shares of the company's stock valued at $275,000 after acquiring an additional 1,057 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its holdings in shares of Premier Financial by 1.9% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 58,144 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,190,000 after purchasing an additional 1,075 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Premier Financial by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 48,300 shares of the company's stock worth $988,000 after purchasing an additional 1,300 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Premier Financial by 17.8% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 8,642 shares of the company's stock worth $208,000 after buying an additional 1,304 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Evergreen Capital Management LLC increased its position in Premier Financial by 8.6% during the 2nd quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 17,912 shares of the company's stock valued at $366,000 after buying an additional 1,414 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 66.14% of the company's stock.

Premier Financial Stock Performance

Shares of PFC stock traded down $0.10 on Tuesday, reaching $24.59. The stock had a trading volume of 200,375 shares, compared to its average volume of 155,187. The stock has a market cap of $881.31 million, a P/E ratio of 12.50 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 0.97. Premier Financial Corp. has a 1 year low of $17.08 and a 1 year high of $26.40. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $24.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $22.20.

Premier Financial (NASDAQ:PFC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The company reported $0.46 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.50 by ($0.04). Premier Financial had a net margin of 16.06% and a return on equity of 7.51%. The business had revenue of $112.74 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $64.55 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.69 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Premier Financial Corp. will post 1.98 EPS for the current year.

Premier Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. Premier Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.94%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Dennis E. Rose, Jr. sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 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 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Premier Financial news, Director Donald P. Hileman sold 1,500 shares of Premier Financial stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 28,311 shares of the company's stock, valued at $669,272.04. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Dennis E. Rose, Jr. sold 2,000 shares of the company'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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 38,114 shares in the company, valued at approximately $953,231.14. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.