Short Interest in Citizens Financial Services Inc. (NASDAQ:CZFS) Decreases By 20.0%

Citizens Financial Services Inc. (NASDAQ:CZFS) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest in January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 30,295 shares, a decline of 20.0% from the January 15th total of 37,865 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 16,709 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.8 days. Currently, 0.7% of the company’s stock are sold short. Currently, 0.7% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 16,709 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.8 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on CZFS shares. Janney Montgomery Scott upgraded shares of Citizens Financial Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Zacks Research lowered shares of Citizens Financial Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Citizens Financial Services in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Citizens Financial Services Stock Performance

Shares of CZFS stock traded up $0.85 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $63.92. 1,887 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 12,916. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $61.58 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $59.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98. Citizens Financial Services has a 12-month low of $49.96 and a 12-month high of $69.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $307.46 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.38 and a beta of 0.42.

Citizens Financial Services (NASDAQ:CZFS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $2.18 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $27.79 million for the quarter. Citizens Financial Services had a return on equity of 11.55% and a net margin of 21.08%. On average, analysts forecast that Citizens Financial Services will post 6.4 EPS for the current year.

Citizens Financial Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th were paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 12th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. Citizens Financial Services’s payout ratio is currently 26.21%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Citizens Financial Services during the first quarter worth approximately $249,000. Citizens & Northern Corp raised its position in Citizens Financial Services by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Citizens & Northern Corp now owns 117,081 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,875,000 after buying an additional 1,159 shares during the last quarter. Stone House Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Citizens Financial Services by 82.0% in the 2nd quarter. Stone House Investment Management LLC now owns 1,176 shares of the company’s stock worth $69,000 after acquiring an additional 530 shares during the period. Bryn Mawr Trust Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Citizens Financial Services by 14.2% in the second quarter. Bryn Mawr Trust Advisors LLC now owns 6,305 shares of the company’s stock valued at $370,000 after acquiring an additional 783 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Citizens Financial Services by 1.6% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 106,338 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,246,000 after acquiring an additional 1,681 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 22.49% of the company’s stock.

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.