Community Bank System (NYSE:CBU) Earns Sell Rating from Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Community Bank System (NYSE:CBU – Get Rating) in a report released on Thursday morning. The firm issued a sell rating on the bank’s stock.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on the stock. Raymond James began coverage on shares of Community Bank System in a report on Tuesday, December 20th. They set a market perform rating on the stock. Janney Montgomery Scott began coverage on shares of Community Bank System in a report on Tuesday, March 14th. They set a buy rating and a $66.00 target price on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $64.50.

Community Bank System Stock Performance

Community Bank System stock opened at $53.84 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $59.50 and its 200-day moving average price is $61.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.67. The stock has a market cap of $2.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.56 and a beta of 0.63. Community Bank System has a fifty-two week low of $48.99 and a fifty-two week high of $72.86.

Community Bank System (NYSE:CBU – Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 24th. The bank reported $0.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $187.69 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $177.60 million. Community Bank System had a net margin of 26.77% and a return on equity of 11.94%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.81 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Community Bank System will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Community Bank System Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 15th will be issued a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.27%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 14th. Community Bank System’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.87%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Community Bank System news, Director Brian R. Ace sold 4,148 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.54, for a total value of $251,119.92. Following the sale, the director now owns 63,011 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,814,685.94. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Sally A. Steele bought 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 15th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $53.46 per share, with a total value of $106,920.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 4,585 shares in the company, valued at approximately $245,114.10. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Brian R. Ace sold 4,148 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.54, for a total transaction of $251,119.92. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 63,011 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,814,685.94. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.63% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Community Bank System

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CBU. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. lifted its position in shares of Community Bank System by 43.0% in the 1st quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 5,912 shares of the bank’s stock worth $422,000 after purchasing an additional 1,777 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates lifted its position in shares of Community Bank System by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 17,408 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,221,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in shares of Community Bank System by 15.8% in the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 7,143 shares of the bank’s stock worth $501,000 after purchasing an additional 977 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Community Bank System by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 20,597 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,447,000 after purchasing an additional 540 shares during the period. Finally, Citigroup Inc. lifted its position in shares of Community Bank System by 20.9% in the 1st quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 51,951 shares of the bank’s stock worth $3,644,000 after purchasing an additional 8,977 shares during the period. 71.78% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Community Bank System

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Community Bank System, Inc is a holding company, which engages in the provision of retail, business, and municipal banking services. It operates through the following segments: Banking, Employee Benefit Services, and All Other. The Banking segment offers an array of lending and depository-related products and services to individuals, businesses, and municipal enterprises.