Norwood Financial (NASDAQ:NWFL) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Norwood Financial (NASDAQ:NWFL) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Saturday morning.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Zacks Research cut shares of Norwood Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Norwood Financial in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $26.50.

Norwood Financial Trading Up 3.3%

NWFL opened at $31.44 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $28.74 and a 200 day moving average price of $26.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.90. Norwood Financial has a 12 month low of $21.25 and a 12 month high of $32.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $291.13 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.52 and a beta of 0.60.

Norwood Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 15th were given a $0.32 dividend. This is a positive change from Norwood Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 15th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.1%. Norwood Financial’s payout ratio is 42.81%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Norwood Financial

In other news, Director Joseph W. Carroll bought 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 28th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $28.13 per share, for a total transaction of $112,520.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 41,503 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,167,479.39. This trade represents a 10.67% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director James Shook bought 3,500 shares of Norwood Financial stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 28th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $28.80 per share, with a total value of $100,800.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 8,330 shares in the company, valued at approximately $239,904. The trade was a 72.46% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have purchased a total of 9,700 shares of company stock worth $274,770 over the last quarter. 8.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Norwood Financial

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Norwood Financial by 130.7% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 1,061 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 601 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position in Norwood Financial by 293.6% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,771 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 1,321 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in Norwood Financial by 144.5% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,100 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 1,241 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in Norwood Financial by 68.9% during the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 2,138 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 872 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake in Norwood Financial by 18.5% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 4,909 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $119,000 after purchasing an additional 765 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 28.08% of the company’s stock.

About Norwood Financial

Norwood Financial Corporation is the bank holding company for Norwood Bank, a community-oriented financial institution headquartered in Norwood, Massachusetts. Incorporated in 2010, the company oversees a network of branch offices serving suburban and metropolitan communities in eastern Massachusetts. Norwood Financial’s mission emphasizes personalized service, local decision-making and a commitment to supporting neighborhood growth.

The company’s primary business activities encompass a full suite of personal and commercial banking products and services.