Wall Street Zen Upgrades Ponce Financial Group (NASDAQ:PDLB) to Buy

Ponce Financial Group (NASDAQ:PDLB) was upgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Saturday.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on PDLB. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Ponce Financial Group from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Zacks Research raised Ponce Financial Group to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

Ponce Financial Group Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NASDAQ PDLB opened at $16.35 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $394.97 million, a P/E ratio of 13.74 and a beta of 0.72. Ponce Financial Group has a one year low of $10.88 and a one year high of $18.01. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $16.51 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $15.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.88, a current ratio of 1.34 and a quick ratio of 1.28.

Ponce Financial Group (NASDAQ:PDLB) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.14. Ponce Financial Group had a net margin of 14.72% and a return on equity of 9.52%. The firm had revenue of $31.41 million during the quarter. As a group, analysts expect that Ponce Financial Group will post 0.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ponce Financial Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its holdings in Ponce Financial Group by 275.8% in the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 2,698 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 1,980 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its stake in shares of Ponce Financial Group by 46.5% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,510 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 1,114 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in shares of Ponce Financial Group by 104.5% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 3,928 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 2,007 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ponce Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth about $113,000. Finally, Panagora Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ponce Financial Group during the second quarter worth about $156,000. 64.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ponce Financial Group Company Profile

Ponce Financial Group, Inc (NASDAQ: PDLB) is a bank holding company based in Puerto Rico. Through its primary subsidiary, Banco Ponce, the company offers a range of commercial and retail banking services tailored to individuals, small businesses and corporate clients across the island.

The company’s core business activities include deposit-taking, commercial and consumer lending, mortgage origination and servicing, and treasury management solutions. In addition to traditional banking products, Ponce Financial Group provides cash management, electronic banking and wealth management services designed to support the financial needs of its diverse client base.

Ponce Financial Group operates exclusively in Puerto Rico, serving both urban and rural communities through its branch network.