Potlatch Corporation (NASDAQ:PCH) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Potlatch Corporation (NASDAQ:PCH) have earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the eight research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $45.6667.

Several research analysts have commented on PCH shares. BMO Capital Markets downgraded Potlatch from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $51.00 to $45.00 in a research note on Thursday. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $40.00 price objective (down from $54.00) on shares of Potlatch in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $48.00 price objective on shares of Potlatch in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Zacks Research raised shares of Potlatch from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Potlatch in a report on Wednesday, October 8th.

Insider Transactions at Potlatch

In related news, CEO Eric J. Cremers sold 24,123 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.33, for a total value of $948,757.59. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 296,043 shares in the company, valued at $11,643,371.19. This trade represents a 7.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Ashlee Townsend Cribb sold 4,756 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.35, for a total transaction of $187,148.60. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 39,619 shares in the company, valued at $1,559,007.65. The trade was a 10.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 42,831 shares of company stock valued at $1,685,049. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Potlatch

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Potlatch by 216.6% in the third quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,184 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 810 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. acquired a new position in Potlatch during the 3rd quarter worth about $341,000. Adelante Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Potlatch by 9.7% in the 3rd quarter. Adelante Capital Management LLC now owns 53,345 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,174,000 after buying an additional 4,723 shares during the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its stake in shares of Potlatch by 8.8% in the third quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 42,825 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,724,000 after buying an additional 3,456 shares during the period. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Potlatch by 200.3% in the third quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 94,116 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $3,835,000 after buying an additional 62,774 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.06% of the company’s stock.

Potlatch Stock Up 3.4%

Shares of PCH opened at $41.35 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $39.82 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $40.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.96 and a quick ratio of 1.26. Potlatch has a one year low of $36.82 and a one year high of $48.12. The company has a market cap of $3.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.43 and a beta of 1.09.

Potlatch (NASDAQ:PCH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Potlatch had a return on equity of 3.38% and a net margin of 5.76%.The company had revenue of $354.19 million for the quarter. Research analysts forecast that Potlatch will post 0.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Potlatch Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th were issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 15th. Potlatch’s dividend payout ratio is presently 219.51%.

Potlatch Company Profile

PotlatchDeltic Corporation, which trades on the NASDAQ under the ticker PCH, is a real estate investment trust (REIT) specializing in the ownership and sustainable management of timberland. Headquartered in Spokane, Washington, the company holds approximately two million acres of forested land across the United States. Its integrated business model combines timberland stewardship with manufacturing and marketing of wood products to serve residential, agricultural and industrial markets.

In its timberland segment, PotlatchDeltic focuses on responsible forest management practices, including reforestation, habitat conservation and wildfire mitigation.