Citizens Financial Services Inc. (NASDAQ:CZFS) Short Interest Down 21.2% in December

Citizens Financial Services Inc. (NASDAQ:CZFS) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 32,668 shares, a drop of 21.2% from the December 15th total of 41,456 shares. Approximately 0.7% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 9,151 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.6 days. Based on an average daily volume of 9,151 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.6 days. Approximately 0.7% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CZFS has been the subject of several research reports. Zacks Research raised shares of Citizens Financial Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Citizens Financial Services in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott upgraded Citizens Financial Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

Insider Activity at Citizens Financial Services

In other Citizens Financial Services news, CEO Randall E. Black acquired 478 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $54.10 per share, with a total value of $25,859.80. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 44,013 shares in the company, valued at $2,381,103.30. This trade represents a 1.10% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In the last quarter, insiders have purchased 516 shares of company stock valued at $27,903. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of CZFS. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new position in Citizens Financial Services during the first quarter valued at approximately $249,000. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Citizens Financial Services in the 1st quarter valued at $296,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Citizens Financial Services by 183.3% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,170 shares of the company’s stock valued at $69,000 after acquiring an additional 757 shares during the period. Citizens & Northern Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Citizens Financial Services by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Citizens & Northern Corp now owns 117,081 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,875,000 after acquiring an additional 1,159 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stone House Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Citizens Financial Services by 82.0% during the 2nd quarter. Stone House Investment Management LLC now owns 1,176 shares of the company’s stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 530 shares during the period. 22.49% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Citizens Financial Services Price Performance

Shares of CZFS traded up $1.65 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $64.40. The company had a trading volume of 13,602 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,241. The company has a market capitalization of $309.51 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.03 and a beta of 0.41. Citizens Financial Services has a 12-month low of $49.96 and a 12-month high of $65.80. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $58.14 and a 200-day simple moving average of $58.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85.

Citizens Financial Services (NASDAQ:CZFS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.33. Citizens Financial Services had a net margin of 19.80% and a return on equity of 10.91%. The firm had revenue of $28.99 million during the quarter. Research analysts expect that Citizens Financial Services will post 6.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Citizens Financial Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 12th. Citizens Financial Services’s payout ratio is presently 28.05%.

About Citizens Financial Services

Citizens Financial Services, Inc (NASDAQ:CZFS) is a bank holding company headquartered in Elderton, Pennsylvania, providing a range of retail and commercial banking services through its primary subsidiary, Citizens Savings Bank. The company offers deposit products such as checking and savings accounts, money market accounts and certificates of deposit, supported by online and mobile banking platforms tailored to personal and business clients.

Beyond deposit-taking, Citizens Financial Services underwrites a variety of lending products, including residential mortgage loans, home equity financing, commercial real estate loans, construction lending and consumer installment loans.