Analysts Set Potlatch Corporation (NASDAQ:PCH) Target Price at $45.83

Potlatch Corporation (NASDAQ:PCH) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the eight ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation and one has issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $45.8333.

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Bank of America cut shares of Potlatch from a “buy” rating to an “underperform” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $49.00 to $46.00 in a research note on Monday, November 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $48.00 price objective on shares of Potlatch in a research note on Monday, November 10th. BMO Capital Markets downgraded Potlatch from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $51.00 to $45.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $40.00 price target (down from $54.00) on shares of Potlatch in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Potlatch in a report on Thursday, January 22nd.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Michele Tyler sold 4,343 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.36, for a total value of $170,940.48. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 42,184 shares in the company, valued at $1,660,362.24. The trade was a 9.33% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Ashlee Townsend Cribb sold 4,756 shares of the firm’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 owned 39,619 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,559,007.65. The trade was a 10.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 43,569 shares of company stock worth $1,715,897. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Potlatch

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Coastline Trust Co acquired a new stake in Potlatch during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its position in shares of Potlatch by 611.9% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 719 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 618 shares in the last quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Potlatch during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Potlatch by 61.1% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,084 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 411 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Potlatch by 216.6% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,184 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 810 shares in the last quarter. 86.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Potlatch Stock Up 0.0%

PCH opened at $41.73 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $41.16 and its 200 day moving average price is $41.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.96 and a quick ratio of 1.26. The stock has a market cap of $3.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.89 and a beta of 1.08. Potlatch has a 12 month low of $36.82 and a 12 month high of $48.12.

Potlatch (NASDAQ:PCH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The real estate investment trust reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.21. Potlatch had a return on equity of 3.38% and a net margin of 5.76%.The company had revenue of $314.18 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $308.13 million. As a group, research analysts predict that Potlatch will post 0.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Potlatch Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 4.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 15th. Potlatch’s dividend payout ratio is presently 219.51%.

About Potlatch

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.