Inspire Investing LLC Buys Shares of 36,607 Premier Financial Corp. (NASDAQ:PFC)

Inspire Investing LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Premier Financial Corp. (NASDAQ:PFC) in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor purchased 36,607 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $860,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in PFC. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC increased its stake in Premier Financial by 8.5% in the 1st quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 13,564 shares of the company’s stock worth $275,000 after buying an additional 1,057 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its holdings in shares of Premier Financial by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 58,144 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,190,000 after purchasing an additional 1,075 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Premier Financial by 2.8% during the second quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 48,300 shares of the company’s stock valued at $988,000 after acquiring an additional 1,300 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings in Premier Financial by 17.8% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 8,642 shares of the company’s stock valued at $208,000 after purchasing an additional 1,304 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Evergreen Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Premier Financial by 8.6% during the second quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 17,912 shares of the company’s stock valued at $366,000 after buying an additional 1,414 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 66.14% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Premier Financial

In other news, Director Donald P. Hileman sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.64, for a total transaction of $35,460.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 28,311 shares in the company, valued at $669,272.04. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Premier Financial news, Director Donald P. Hileman sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.64, for a total transaction of $35,460.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 28,311 shares in the company, valued at $669,272.04. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Dennis E. Rose, Jr. sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.01, for a total value of $50,020.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 38,114 shares in the company, valued at approximately $953,231.14. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.22% of the company’s stock.

Premier Financial Stock Performance

PFC opened at $23.95 on Tuesday. Premier Financial Corp. has a 12-month low of $15.79 and a 12-month high of $26.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $857.72 million, a PE ratio of 7.73 and a beta of 1.26. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $23.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $21.87.

Premier Financial (NASDAQ:PFC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.51 by ($0.06). Premier Financial had a net margin of 18.07% and a return on equity of 8.19%. The business had revenue of $110.55 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $63.20 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.68 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Premier Financial Corp. will post 1.98 EPS for the current year.

Premier Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 9th were issued a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 9th. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.18%. Premier Financial’s payout ratio is 40.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.