Potlatch (NASDAQ:PCH) Stock Passes Above 200 Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

Potlatch Corporation (NASDAQ:PCH)’s stock price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $41.24 and traded as high as $44.33. Potlatch shares last traded at $43.19, with a volume of 1,143,302 shares traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on PCH. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $48.00 target price on shares of Potlatch in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Potlatch in a report on Thursday. Bank of America lowered Potlatch from a “buy” rating to an “underperform” rating and cut their target price for the company from $49.00 to $46.00 in a report on Monday, November 17th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $40.00 price target (down previously from $54.00) on shares of Potlatch in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Potlatch from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $45.83.

Potlatch Trading Down 2.6%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.96 and a quick ratio of 1.26. The company has a market capitalization of $3.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.67 and a beta of 1.09. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $40.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $41.24.

Potlatch (NASDAQ:PCH) last announced its earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The real estate investment trust reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.15 by $0.21. Potlatch had a net margin of 5.76% and a return on equity of 3.38%. The business had revenue of $314.18 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $308.13 million. On average, equities analysts expect that Potlatch Corporation will post 0.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Potlatch Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th were paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. Potlatch’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 219.51%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Ashlee Townsend Cribb sold 4,756 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.35, for a total transaction of $187,148.60. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 39,619 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,559,007.65. The trade was a 10.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Eric J. Cremers sold 24,123 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.33, for a total value of $948,757.59. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 296,043 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,643,371.19. The trade was a 7.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 43,569 shares of company stock valued at $1,715,897. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Potlatch

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Potlatch by 27.1% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,378 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 294 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its stake in Potlatch by 4.3% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 10,155 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $414,000 after purchasing an additional 421 shares during the period. Marathon Capital Management boosted its holdings in Potlatch by 4.3% during the third quarter. Marathon Capital Management now owns 12,020 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $490,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Counselling Inc. boosted its holdings in Potlatch by 0.4% during the second quarter. Fiduciary Counselling Inc. now owns 117,237 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $4,498,000 after purchasing an additional 521 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth grew its stake in shares of Potlatch by 8.9% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 6,920 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $312,000 after purchasing an additional 565 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.06% of the company’s stock.

Potlatch Company Profile

PotlatchDeltic Corporation, which trades on the NASDAQ under the ticker PCH, is a real estate investment trust (REIT) specializing in the ownership and sustainable management of timberland. Headquartered in Spokane, Washington, the company holds approximately two million acres of forested land across the United States. Its integrated business model combines timberland stewardship with manufacturing and marketing of wood products to serve residential, agricultural and industrial markets.

In its timberland segment, PotlatchDeltic focuses on responsible forest management practices, including reforestation, habitat conservation and wildfire mitigation.