First Commonwealth Financial (NYSE:FCF) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of First Commonwealth Financial (NYSE:FCF) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report released on Tuesday.

A number of other research firms have also issued reports on FCF. DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $21.00 target price on shares of First Commonwealth Financial in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $21.50 price objective on shares of First Commonwealth Financial in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $20.00 target price on shares of First Commonwealth Financial in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $19.58.

First Commonwealth Financial Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of FCF opened at $14.35 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The firm has a market cap of $1.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.32 and a beta of 0.72. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $15.63 and its 200 day moving average price is $16.76. First Commonwealth Financial has a 12-month low of $12.41 and a 12-month high of $19.96.

First Commonwealth Financial (NYSE:FCF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The bank reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.36 by ($0.01). First Commonwealth Financial had a return on equity of 10.36% and a net margin of 20.38%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that First Commonwealth Financial will post 1.45 earnings per share for the current year.

First Commonwealth Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.62%. First Commonwealth Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.41%.

Institutional Trading of First Commonwealth Financial

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in FCF. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of First Commonwealth Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in First Commonwealth Financial in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $46,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in First Commonwealth Financial by 815.8% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 3,187 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 2,839 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of First Commonwealth Financial by 173.4% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 3,396 shares of the bank’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 2,154 shares during the period. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in shares of First Commonwealth Financial by 56.8% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 3,388 shares of the bank’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 1,227 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.58% of the company’s stock.

About First Commonwealth Financial

First Commonwealth Financial Corporation, a financial holding company, provides various consumer and commercial banking services in the United States. Its consumer services include personal checking accounts, interest-earning checking accounts, savings and health savings accounts, insured money market accounts, debit cards, investment certificates, fixed and variable rate certificates of deposit, mortgage loans, secured and unsecured installment loans, construction and real estate loans, safe deposit facilities, credit cards, credit lines with overdraft checking protection, IRA accounts, and automated teller machine (atm) services, as well as internet, mobile, and telephone banking services.