Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Sells 34,192 Shares of Premier Financial Corp. (NASDAQ:PFC)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP reduced its holdings in shares of Premier Financial Corp. (NASDAQ:PFC) by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,242,511 shares of the company’s stock after selling 34,192 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 6.26% of Premier Financial worth $45,881,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in Premier Financial by 18.0% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 656,177 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,425,000 after purchasing an additional 100,198 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC raised its position in Premier Financial by 242.7% in the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 11,691 shares of the company’s stock valued at $239,000 after purchasing an additional 8,280 shares during the last quarter. Foundry Partners LLC raised its position in Premier Financial by 8.2% in the second quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 188,435 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,855,000 after purchasing an additional 14,250 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System bought a new position in Premier Financial in the second quarter valued at about $205,000. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Premier Financial by 2.8% in the second quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 48,300 shares of the company’s stock valued at $988,000 after purchasing an additional 1,300 shares during the last quarter. 66.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Janney Montgomery Scott reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Premier Financial in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $22.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Premier Financial

In other Premier Financial news, Director Donald P. Hileman sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.64, for a total value of $35,460.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 28,311 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $669,272.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Dennis E. Rose, Jr. sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.01, for a total value of $50,020.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 38,114 shares in the company, valued at $953,231.14. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Donald P. Hileman sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.64, for a total value of $35,460.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 28,311 shares in the company, valued at approximately $669,272.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.22% of the company’s stock.

Premier Financial Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of PFC stock opened at $23.13 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $24.27 and a 200-day moving average of $21.59. Premier Financial Corp. has a 1-year low of $15.79 and a 1-year high of $26.40. The stock has a market cap of $828.35 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.46 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

Premier Financial (NASDAQ:PFC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.51 by ($0.06). Premier Financial had a return on equity of 8.19% and a net margin of 18.07%. The business had revenue of $110.55 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $63.20 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.68 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Premier Financial Corp. will post 1.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Premier Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 9th were paid a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 9th. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.36%. Premier Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.00%.

About Premier Financial

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.