Premier Financial Corp. (NASDAQ:PFC) Shares Bought by Quest Partners LLC

Quest Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Premier Financial Corp. (NASDAQ:PFC) by 133.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 27,295 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 15,604 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC’s holdings in Premier Financial were worth $641,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in Premier Financial by 5.3% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 88,183 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,071,000 after buying an additional 4,422 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP raised its stake in shares of Premier Financial by 15.3% in the 3rd quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 177,965 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,179,000 after acquiring an additional 23,589 shares during the period. Versor Investments LP raised its stake in shares of Premier Financial by 538.1% in the 3rd quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 68,431 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,607,000 after acquiring an additional 57,707 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of Premier Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Premier Financial by 22.7% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 24,573 shares of the company’s stock worth $577,000 after purchasing an additional 4,542 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 66.14% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Janney Montgomery Scott reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Premier Financial in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $22.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Premier Financial news, EVP Dennis E. Rose, Jr. sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.98, for a total transaction of $55,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 36,144 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,011,309.12. This trade represents a 5.24 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 2.22% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Premier Financial Stock Up 2.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:PFC opened at $28.85 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $25.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $23.11. Premier Financial Corp. has a 52-week low of $18.63 and a 52-week high of $29.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The company has a market capitalization of $1.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.64 and a beta of 1.25.

Premier Financial (NASDAQ:PFC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The company reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.50 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $112.74 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $64.55 million. Premier Financial had a return on equity of 7.43% and a net margin of 16.06%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.69 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Premier Financial Corp. will post 2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Premier Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.30%. Premier Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.94%.

About Premier Financial

Premier Financial Corp., through its subsidiaries, provides various banking services. It offers demand, checking, money market, and savings accounts, as well as certificates of deposits and certificates of deposit account registry service; and investment products. The company also provides residential and commercial real estate, commercial, construction, home improvement and home equity, installment, and consumer loans.