Premier Financial Corp. (NASDAQ:PFC) Short Interest Update

Premier Financial Corp. (NASDAQ:PFC) was the target of a large increase in short interest in February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 387,100 shares, an increase of 72.4% from the January 31st total of 224,500 shares. Currently, 1.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 175,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.2 days.

Premier Financial Price Performance

Premier Financial stock traded up $0.06 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $28.13. 3,065,000 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 273,264. The company has a market capitalization of $1.01 billion, a PE ratio of 14.13 and a beta of 1.28. The business has a fifty day moving average of $26.93 and a 200 day moving average of $25.98. Premier Financial has a 1-year low of $18.63 and a 1-year high of $29.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Premier Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st were given a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.41%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 31st. Premier Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.31%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Premier Financial

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PFC. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Premier Financial by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,042,764 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,233,000 after buying an additional 51,285 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Premier Financial by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,254,516 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,078,000 after acquiring an additional 9,998 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in Premier Financial by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,055,377 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,780,000 after purchasing an additional 35,682 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Premier Financial by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 864,387 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,300,000 after purchasing an additional 8,542 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Citigroup Inc. boosted its stake in Premier Financial by 2,017.1% in the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 751,923 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,655,000 after purchasing an additional 716,406 shares in the last quarter. 66.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Premier Financial Company Profile

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.