Provident Financial Services (NYSE:PFS) Share Price Passes Above 200-Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

by · The Markets Daily

Provident Financial Services, Inc (NYSE:PFSGet Free Report)’s share price crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $20.30 and traded as high as $21.51. Provident Financial Services shares last traded at $21.50, with a volume of 597,588 shares traded.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on PFS shares. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $25.00 target price on Provident Financial Services in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Provident Financial Services from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings raised Provident Financial Services from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Piper Sandler started coverage on Provident Financial Services in a report on Monday, March 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $25.00 target price on the stock. Finally, DA Davidson started coverage on Provident Financial Services in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $25.00 target price on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $24.08.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Provident Financial Services

Provident Financial Services Stock Up 2.3%

The stock has a market cap of $2.89 billion, a PE ratio of 9.91 and a beta of 0.81. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $21.74 and a 200 day moving average of $20.33. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90.

Provident Financial Services (NYSE:PFSGet Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The savings and loans company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.08. Provident Financial Services had a net margin of 21.06% and a return on equity of 10.69%. The company had revenue of $225.03 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $224.08 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.37 earnings per share. Provident Financial Services’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Provident Financial Services, Inc will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Provident Financial Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th were paid a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. Provident Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.05%.

Provident Financial Services declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Monday, January 26th that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.81 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the savings and loans company to reacquire up to 0.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Provident Financial Services

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of PFS. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI acquired a new stake in shares of Provident Financial Services during the third quarter worth about $1,182,000. Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its stake in shares of Provident Financial Services by 155.9% during the third quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 48,184 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $929,000 after buying an additional 29,356 shares during the period. Alps Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Provident Financial Services during the third quarter worth about $444,000. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Provident Financial Services by 40.4% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,308,774 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $44,513,000 after buying an additional 664,021 shares during the period. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its stake in shares of Provident Financial Services by 17.1% during the third quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 637,792 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $12,265,000 after buying an additional 93,105 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.97% of the company’s stock.

Provident Financial Services Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Provident Financial Services, Inc is the bank holding company for Provident Bank, a regional commercial bank headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey. The company operates a network of full-service branches across New Jersey, the New York metropolitan area and eastern Pennsylvania, offering a range of personal and business banking solutions.

Its core products and services include checking and savings accounts, consumer and residential mortgage loans, commercial real estate financing and small-business lending.

Featured Stories