Peoples Financial Services Corp. (NASDAQ:PFIS) Shares Sold by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Peoples Financial Services Corp. (NASDAQ:PFIS - Free Report) by 1.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 488,066 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 7,531 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 4.89% of Peoples Financial Services worth $24,979,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Peoples Financial Services by 14.9% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 211,451 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $9,914,000 after purchasing an additional 27,463 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its position in Peoples Financial Services by 6.6% in the 3rd 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 period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in Peoples Financial Services by 20.6% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 52,100 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,666,000 after acquiring an additional 8,911 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in Peoples Financial Services by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 51,084 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,614,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Peoples Financial Services by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 38,857 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,989,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares during the last quarter. 31.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Richard S. Lochen, Jr. acquired 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $47.12 per share, with a total value of $47,120.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 17,129 shares in the company, valued at approximately $807,118.48. This represents a 6.20 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 4.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Peoples Financial Services Stock Performance

Shares of Peoples Financial Services stock traded up $0.45 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $42.59. 33,715 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 23,167. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The business has a 50-day moving average of $46.00 and a 200-day moving average of $49.15. Peoples Financial Services Corp. has a 1 year low of $36.41 and a 1 year high of $59.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $425.77 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.69 and a beta of 0.57.

Peoples Financial Services (NASDAQ:PFIS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 8.97% and a net margin of 3.70%. As a group, analysts expect that Peoples Financial Services Corp. will post 5.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Peoples Financial Services Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $0.6175 per share. This represents a $2.47 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.80%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Peoples Financial Services's payout ratio is 218.58%.

Peoples Financial Services Company Profile

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.