Community Financial System (NYSE:CBU) Cut to Sell at Wall Street Zen

Posted by Brian Himes on Aug 5th, 2026

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Community Financial System (NYSE:CBU – Free Report) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report report published on Sunday.

CBU has been the topic of a number of other reports. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $75.00 price target on shares of Community Financial System in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Community Financial System from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of Community Financial System from $62.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of Community Financial System from $70.00 to $68.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $71.50.

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Community Financial System Trading Up 0.4%

CBU opened at $66.80 on Friday. Community Financial System has a 52 week low of $51.73 and a 52 week high of $71.11. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $65.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $63.21. The firm has a market cap of $3.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.50 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Community Financial System (NYSE:CBU – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The bank reported $1.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.18 by ($0.02). Community Financial System had a net margin of 21.79% and a return on equity of 11.47%. The firm had revenue of $218.45 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $221.77 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.04 EPS. Community Financial System’s quarterly revenue was up 12.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Community Financial System will post 4.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Community Financial System Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This is an increase from Community Financial System’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Community Financial System’s payout ratio is presently 43.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Community Financial System

In other Community Financial System news, Director Eric Stickels sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.98, for a total value of $127,960.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 31,592 shares in the company, valued at $2,021,256.16. This trade represents a 5.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Mark J. Bolus sold 12,191 shares of Community Financial System stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.00, for a total value of $816,797.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 94,060 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,302,020. This trade represents a 11.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 1.15% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Community Financial System

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Community Financial System by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,818,395 shares of the bank’s stock worth $106,647,000 after buying an additional 20,428 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake in shares of Community Financial System by 7,231.2% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 16,422 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $963,000 after buying an additional 16,198 shares in the last quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Community Financial System by 11.1% in the first quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 530,874 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $31,136,000 after buying an additional 53,191 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in Community Financial System by 10,989.2% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 200,049 shares of the bank’s stock worth $11,491,000 after acquiring an additional 198,245 shares during the period. Finally, Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. grew its holdings in Community Financial System by 740.1% during the fourth quarter. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. now owns 401,450 shares of the bank’s stock worth $23,059,000 after acquiring an additional 353,663 shares during the period. 73.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Community Financial System Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Community Financial System (NYSE: CBU) is the bank holding company for Community Bank, National Association, a full-service commercial bank headquartered in DeWitt, New York. Through its principal subsidiary, the company offers a range of banking and financial services designed to meet the needs of both consumer and business clients. Its organizational structure centers on community-based banking operations supported by centralized technology, risk management and administrative functions.

The company’s product offerings include deposit accounts, residential and commercial mortgage loans, commercial and consumer lending, treasury and cash management services, and electronic banking.