Community Financial System, Inc. (NYSE:CBU) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Community Financial System, Inc. (NYSE:CBU) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the five brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $66.6667.

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on CBU shares. Piper Sandler assumed coverage on Community Financial System in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $62.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded Community Financial System from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Janney Montgomery Scott downgraded Community Financial System from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. DA Davidson assumed coverage on shares of Community Financial System in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $72.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Community Financial System from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday.

Insider Transactions at Community Financial System

In related news, Director John F. Whipple sold 4,246 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.17, for a total value of $276,711.82. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 8,506 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $554,336.02. The trade was a 33.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Eric Stickels sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.75, for a total value of $129,500.00. Following the sale, the director owned 33,342 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,158,894.50. This represents a 5.66% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 9,696 shares of company stock valued at $609,244. 1.01% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Community Financial System

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in shares of Community Financial System by 507.0% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 522 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 436 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Community Financial System by 177.0% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 781 shares of the bank’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 499 shares during the period. Lipe & Dalton purchased a new stake in Community Financial System during the 4th quarter valued at about $52,000. CWM LLC grew its stake in Community Financial System by 56.1% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 899 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 323 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Community Financial System by 14.9% in the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,456 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $86,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares during the period. 73.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Community Financial System Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE CBU opened at $56.26 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The company has a market cap of $2.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.17 and a beta of 0.80. Community Financial System has a 1 year low of $49.44 and a 1 year high of $67.50. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $61.98 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $59.49.

Community Financial System (NYSE:CBU) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The bank reported $1.12 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.13 by ($0.01). Community Financial System had a net margin of 20.82% and a return on equity of 11.09%. The business had revenue of $215.56 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $212.85 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.94 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Community Financial System will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Community Financial System Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a $0.47 dividend. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. Community Financial System’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.36%.

Community Financial System Company Profile

Community Financial System (NYSE: CBU) is the bank holding company for Community Bank, National Association, a full-service commercial bank headquartered in DeWitt, New York. Through its principal subsidiary, the company offers a range of banking and financial services designed to meet the needs of both consumer and business clients. Its organizational structure centers on community-based banking operations supported by centralized technology, risk management and administrative functions.

The company’s product offerings include deposit accounts, residential and commercial mortgage loans, commercial and consumer lending, treasury and cash management services, and electronic banking.