Potlatch Corporation (NASDAQ:PCH) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Potlatch Corporation (NASDAQ:PCH) has been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the eight ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $45.8333.

Several equities research analysts recently commented on PCH shares. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $40.00 target price (down from $54.00) on shares of Potlatch in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $48.00 price target on shares of Potlatch in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Potlatch from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Potlatch in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Bank of America lowered Potlatch from a “buy” rating to an “underperform” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $49.00 to $46.00 in a research report on Monday, November 17th.

Insider Transactions at Potlatch

In other news, CAO Glen F. Smith sold 738 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.80, for a total value of $30,848.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 8,159 shares in the company, valued at approximately $341,046.20. This trade represents a 8.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP William R. Dereu sold 3,278 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.33, for a total value of $128,923.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 73,845 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,904,323.85. This represents a 4.25% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 43,569 shares of company stock worth $1,715,897. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Potlatch

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Coastline Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Potlatch in the third quarter worth $26,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in Potlatch by 611.9% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 719 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 618 shares in the last quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Potlatch in the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its position in Potlatch by 216.6% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,184 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 810 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Potlatch during the 4th quarter valued at about $51,000. Institutional investors own 86.06% of the company’s stock.

Potlatch Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of NASDAQ PCH opened at $41.73 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.89 and a beta of 1.09. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $41.72 and its 200 day moving average is $41.33. Potlatch has a 52 week low of $36.82 and a 52 week high of $48.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 1.96.

Potlatch Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th were given a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 15th. Potlatch’s payout ratio is presently 219.51%.

About Potlatch

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.