The PNC Financial Services Group (NYSE:PNC) Upgraded at Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of The PNC Financial Services Group (NYSE:PNC) to a strong-buy rating in a research report report published on Wednesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on PNC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of The PNC Financial Services Group from $228.50 to $251.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of The PNC Financial Services Group from $252.00 to $264.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on The PNC Financial Services Group from $211.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The PNC Financial Services Group in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on The PNC Financial Services Group from $222.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $234.16.

The PNC Financial Services Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:PNC opened at $202.46 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The PNC Financial Services Group has a 1 year low of $145.12 and a 1 year high of $243.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $81.66 billion, a PE ratio of 12.20, a P/E/G ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.98. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $218.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $205.11.

The PNC Financial Services Group (NYSE:PNC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 16th. The financial services provider reported $4.88 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.23 by $0.65. The PNC Financial Services Group had a return on equity of 11.87% and a net margin of 20.40%.The firm had revenue of $6.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.90 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.77 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that The PNC Financial Services Group will post 15.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The PNC Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 5th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 20th were given a dividend of $1.70 per share. This represents a $6.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 20th. The PNC Financial Services Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.99%.

Insider Activity at The PNC Financial Services Group

In other The PNC Financial Services Group news, CEO William S. Demchak sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.88, for a total value of $11,544,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 554,274 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $127,970,781.12. This represents a 8.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Alexander E. C. Overstrom sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $233.91, for a total transaction of $584,775.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 21,120 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,940,179.20. This trade represents a 10.58% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 64,186 shares of company stock valued at $14,840,973 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The PNC Financial Services Group

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in PNC. Monetary Solutions Ltd purchased a new stake in The PNC Financial Services Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of The PNC Financial Services Group during the third quarter worth $25,000. Modus Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The PNC Financial Services Group in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of The PNC Financial Services Group in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, EFG International AG purchased a new stake in shares of The PNC Financial Services Group in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.53% of the company’s stock.

The PNC Financial Services Group News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting The PNC Financial Services Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies initiated/expanded coverage and raised its stance—setting a $250 price target and issuing a buy/strong-buy—boosting demand from investors who follow sell-side coverage. Zacks Jefferies Coverage MSN Jefferies Initiates
• Positive Sentiment: Schaeffer’s Weekend Trader flagged PNC as “poised for a relief rally” and circulated a specific options trade idea to subscribers—this type of options flow and positive trading idea can attract short-term traders and provide buying support. Schaeffer’s Article
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst consensus remains constructive—coverage summary shows a “moderate buy” consensus and analysts expect double-digit EPS growth into the next quarter, which supports medium-term fundamentals ahead of earnings. Analyst Consensus Earnings Preview
• Neutral Sentiment: Independent reviews and write-ups are circulating (analyst review sites and banking news) that summarize fundamentals and recent results—useful for retail investors but unlikely to move the stock materially on their own. Review Article
• Negative Sentiment: Oppenheimer trimmed its price target from $284 to $263 while keeping an “outperform” rating; the cut reduces upside expectations versus prior targets and can temper upside momentum even though the rating stayed positive. Benzinga Oppenheimer Note

The PNC Financial Services Group Company Profile

The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc is a diversified financial services company headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, offering a broad range of banking, lending, investment and wealth management services. PNC operates a national banking franchise with a significant retail branch network and dedicated capabilities for commercial, institutional and government clients. Its services are designed to serve individuals, small businesses, corporations and public sector entities across the United States.

PNC’s core business activities include consumer and business banking, residential mortgage lending, corporate and institutional banking, asset management and wealth advisory services.