Community Financial System, Inc. (NYSE:CBU) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Community Financial System, Inc. (NYSE:CBU) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $71.50.

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings raised Community Financial System from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of Community Financial System from $70.00 to $68.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Community Financial System from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of Community Financial System from $66.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd.

Insider Buying and Selling at Community Financial System

In related news, Director Mark Bolus sold 12,191 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.00, for a total value of $816,797.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 94,060 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,302,020. This represents a 11.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Brenda M. Hall purchased 476 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 24th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $63.59 per share, for a total transaction of $30,268.84. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 515 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $32,748.85. This represents a 1,220.51% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 1.15% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Community Financial System

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Engineers Gate Manager LP purchased a new stake in Community Financial System during the second quarter valued at about $319,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new stake in shares of Community Financial System in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $148,000. Nykredit A S bought a new stake in Community Financial System in the second quarter valued at $38,000. Corient Private Wealth LP boosted its stake in shares of Community Financial System by 11.2% during the 2nd quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP now owns 21,965 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,474,000 after purchasing an additional 2,205 shares in the last quarter. Finally, VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new stake in Community Financial System during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $235,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.79% of the company’s stock.

Community Financial System Price Performance

NYSE:CBU opened at $61.90 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.36 and a beta of 0.77. Community Financial System has a 52-week low of $53.46 and a 52-week high of $71.11. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $64.79 and a 200 day moving average of $63.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.77.

Community Financial System (NYSE:CBU) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The bank reported $1.16 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.18 by ($0.02). Community Financial System had a return on equity of 11.47% and a net margin of 21.79%.The business had revenue of $218.45 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $221.77 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.04 earnings per share. Community Financial System’s revenue was up 12.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Community Financial System will post 4.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Community Financial System Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. This is an increase from Community Financial System’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Community Financial System’s payout ratio is presently 45.48%.

About Community Financial System

Community Financial System, Inc (NYSE: CBU) is a diversified financial services company headquartered in DeWitt, New York. Formerly known as Community Bank System, Inc, the company changed its name in 2024 to reflect the broader range of services offered beyond traditional banking.

Through its Community Bank, N.A. subsidiary, the company provides personal and business banking services, including deposit accounts, consumer and commercial lending, mortgages, cash management, and electronic banking.