Provident Financial Services, Inc. (NYSE:PFS) Shares Sold by Curi RMB Capital LLC

Curi RMB Capital LLC cut its holdings in Provident Financial Services, Inc. (NYSE:PFS - Free Report) by 20.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 200,000 shares of the savings and loans company's stock after selling 50,000 shares during the period. Curi RMB Capital LLC owned about 0.15% of Provident Financial Services worth $3,774,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Provident Financial Services by 39.8% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 316,953 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $5,883,000 after purchasing an additional 90,238 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Provident Financial Services by 23.2% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 980,654 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $18,505,000 after purchasing an additional 184,799 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Provident Financial Services by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,947,394 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $54,715,000 after buying an additional 53,943 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Provident Financial Services by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,825,993 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $34,456,000 after buying an additional 33,201 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Provident Financial Services during the 4th quarter valued at $513,000. 71.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Provident Financial Services Trading Down 3.2 %

Shares of NYSE PFS traded down $0.54 on Friday, reaching $16.35. 425,986 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 840,193. The company has a 50 day moving average of $16.75 and a 200 day moving average of $18.60. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. Provident Financial Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $13.07 and a fifty-two week high of $22.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.13 billion, a PE ratio of 15.55 and a beta of 0.84.

Provident Financial Services (NYSE:PFS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The savings and loans company reported $0.37 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.50 by ($0.13). Provident Financial Services had a return on equity of 5.60% and a net margin of 10.13%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Provident Financial Services, Inc. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Provident Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.87%. Provident Financial Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 91.43%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on PFS. StockNews.com upgraded Provident Financial Services from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 15th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Provident Financial Services from $24.00 to $23.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Provident Financial Services currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $24.00.

About Provident Financial Services

Provident Financial Services, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Provident Bank that provides various banking products and services to individuals, families, and businesses in the United States. Its deposit products include savings, checking, interest-bearing checking, money market deposit, and certificate of deposit accounts, as well as IRA products.