StockNews.com Upgrades C&F Financial (NASDAQ:CFFI) to Buy

StockNews.com upgraded shares of C&F Financial (NASDAQ:CFFI) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Friday morning.

C&F Financial Stock Down 1.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ CFFI opened at $59.06 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $75.21 and a 200 day moving average price of $70.77. The stock has a market cap of $191.35 million, a PE ratio of 9.79 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. C&F Financial has a 52-week low of $33.51 and a 52-week high of $89.90.

C&F Financial (NASDAQ:CFFI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share for the quarter. C&F Financial had a return on equity of 8.97% and a net margin of 11.67%.

C&F Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from C&F Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.12%. C&F Financial’s payout ratio is currently 30.51%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Mark A. Fox sold 1,032 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.00, for a total transaction of $83,592.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 11,005 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $891,405. This trade represents a 8.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 6.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On C&F Financial

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Millennium Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of C&F Financial by 13.2% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 15,311 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,091,000 after acquiring an additional 1,788 shares in the last quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC raised its stake in shares of C&F Financial by 234.7% during the 4th quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 1,831 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $130,000 after buying an additional 1,284 shares in the last quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of C&F Financial by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 42,893 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,056,000 after buying an additional 471 shares during the period. Citadel Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of C&F Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $459,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in C&F Financial by 526.3% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 5,017 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $357,000 after acquiring an additional 4,216 shares during the period. 37.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About C&F Financial

C&F Financial Corp. is a bank holding company, which engages in the provision of banking services to individuals and businesses. It operates through the following segments: Community Banking, Mortgage Banking and Consumer Finance. The Community Banking segment provides checking and savings deposit accounts, business, real estate, development, mortgage, home equity, and installment loans.