Strs Ohio Sells 4,900 Shares of Premier Financial Corp. (NASDAQ:PFC)

Strs Ohio reduced its position in Premier Financial Corp. (NASDAQ:PFC) by 14.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 29,100 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,900 shares during the quarter. Strs Ohio’s holdings in Premier Financial were worth $701,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Premier Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $301,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Premier Financial by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 20,303 shares of the company’s stock valued at $489,000 after purchasing an additional 968 shares during the last quarter. Denali Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Premier Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $759,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in Premier Financial by 41.1% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 160,760 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,874,000 after purchasing an additional 46,854 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Premier Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $186,000. 66.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Premier Financial Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ PFC opened at $20.08 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. Premier Financial Corp. has a 52 week low of $13.60 and a 52 week high of $24.87. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $19.73 and its 200 day moving average is $20.40. The company has a market cap of $718.86 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.48 and a beta of 1.27.

Premier Financial (NASDAQ:PFC) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The company reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.02. Premier Financial had a net margin of 23.67% and a return on equity of 9.19%. The company had revenue of $108.84 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $63.93 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.63 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Premier Financial Corp. will post 2.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Premier Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.18%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 2nd. Premier Financial’s payout ratio is currently 40.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on PFC shares. Hovde Group raised shares of Premier Financial from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $22.50 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $23.00 price target (down from $25.00) on shares of Premier Financial in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of Premier Financial from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday.

Insider Buying and Selling at Premier Financial

In other Premier Financial news, Director Donald P. Hileman sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.07, for a total transaction of $30,105.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 31,311 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $628,411.77. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.22% of the company’s stock.

Premier Financial 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.