Analysts Set Community Financial System, Inc. (NYSE:CBU) Target Price at $66.67

Shares of Community Financial System, Inc. (NYSE:CBU) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the five research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $66.6667.

A number of brokerages have recently commented on CBU. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Community Financial System from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Community Financial System from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 21st. Janney Montgomery Scott lowered shares of Community Financial System from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, DA Davidson initiated coverage on shares of Community Financial System in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $72.00 target price on the stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Community Financial System

In related news, Director John F. Whipple sold 4,246 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 8,506 shares in the company, valued at $554,336.02. This trade represents a 33.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Eric Stickels sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.75, for a total transaction of $129,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 33,342 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,158,894.50. The trade was a 5.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 1.15% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CBU. IFP Advisors Inc grew its position in Community Financial System by 507.0% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 522 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 436 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Community Financial System by 177.0% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 781 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 499 shares during the period. Lipe & Dalton purchased a new position in Community Financial System during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $52,000. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in Community Financial System by 56.1% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 899 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 323 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Community Financial System by 14.9% during 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 in the last quarter. 73.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Community Financial System Trading Up 2.6%

Shares of NYSE:CBU opened at $63.27 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.76. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $60.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $59.55. The company has a market capitalization of $3.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.94 and a beta of 0.77. Community Financial System has a 52-week low of $51.12 and a 52-week high of $67.50.

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

Community Financial System Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th were given a dividend of $0.47 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 16th. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. Community Financial System’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.