First Commonwealth Financial Corporation (NYSE:FCF) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of First Commonwealth Financial Corporation (NYSE:FCF) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the seven ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $19.75.

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on FCF. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of First Commonwealth Financial in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. DA Davidson cut First Commonwealth Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. Raymond James Financial set a $20.00 price target on First Commonwealth Financial and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on First Commonwealth Financial from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Piper Sandler assumed coverage on First Commonwealth Financial in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $21.00 price objective for the company.

Key Headlines Impacting First Commonwealth Financial

Here are the key news stories impacting First Commonwealth Financial this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat expectations: the company reported higher revenue and EPS versus consensus, underscoring improving core performance and supporting upside to earnings estimates. First Commonwealth Financial (NYSE: FCF) exceeds Q4 CY2025 expectations
• Positive Sentiment: Management issued forward targets and share‑repurchase activity: management signaled a 4% net interest margin target for 2026 and is advancing buybacks, both of which should improve future profitability and EPS per share. First Commonwealth Financial signals 4% net interest margin target for 2026 while advancing share buybacks
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst price target increase: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised its price target from $19 to $20 while keeping a market‑perform rating, implying meaningful upside versus recent levels and providing analyst support. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend maintained and scheduled: the board declared a quarterly dividend (record date Feb 6; payable Feb 20) that equates to roughly a 3.1% yield, supporting income investor demand.
• Neutral Sentiment: Detailed disclosures available — earnings call transcript and presentation provide greater color on margins, credit quality and the buyback plan for investors doing deeper analysis. First Commonwealth Financial Corporation (FCF) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript First Commonwealth Financial Corporation 2025 Q4 – Results – Earnings Call Presentation
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest rose materially in January (about a 24% increase to ~1.86M shares, ~1.8% of float), which heightens downside pressure if the stock weakens and could amplify volatility.

First Commonwealth Financial Stock Up 1.2%

First Commonwealth Financial stock opened at $17.81 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.20 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 0.95. First Commonwealth Financial has a fifty-two week low of $13.54 and a fifty-two week high of $18.42. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $17.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $16.82.

First Commonwealth Financial (NYSE:FCF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The bank reported $0.43 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.41 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $137.82 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $135.63 million. First Commonwealth Financial had a net margin of 20.88% and a return on equity of 10.43%. The firm’s revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.35 EPS. Analysts predict that First Commonwealth Financial will post 1.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First Commonwealth Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.135 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 6th. This represents a $0.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. First Commonwealth Financial’s payout ratio is 36.99%.

First Commonwealth Financial announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Monday, December 1st that permits the company to buyback $25.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the bank to purchase up to 1.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Michael P. Mccuen bought 3,090 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $16.19 per share, with a total value of $50,027.10. Following the purchase, the executive vice president owned 62,111 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,005,577.09. The trade was a 5.24% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO James R. Reske sold 2,072 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, January 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.74, for a total value of $34,685.28. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 80,311 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,344,406.14. This represents a 2.52% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 5,555 shares of company stock valued at $90,752. Company insiders own 2.17% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Commonwealth Financial

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in First Commonwealth Financial by 2,250.5% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,609 shares of the bank’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 2,498 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of First Commonwealth Financial by 109.6% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,438 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $72,000 after acquiring an additional 2,321 shares during the last quarter. iSAM Funds UK Ltd acquired a new position in shares of First Commonwealth Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at about $85,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of First Commonwealth Financial by 58.5% during the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 5,285 shares of the bank’s stock worth $91,000 after acquiring an additional 1,950 shares during the period. Finally, CWM LLC boosted its position in shares of First Commonwealth Financial by 10.0% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 8,724 shares of the bank’s stock worth $142,000 after acquiring an additional 792 shares during the last quarter. 72.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

First Commonwealth Financial Company Profile

First Commonwealth Financial Corporation, headquartered in Indiana, Pennsylvania, is a bank holding company whose primary subsidiary is First Commonwealth Bank. Established in 1889 as Indiana National Bank, the company has grown through a combination of organic expansion and strategic acquisitions to build a diversified platform of commercial banking, retail banking and wealth management services.

First Commonwealth offers a comprehensive suite of financial products, including deposit accounts, personal and business lending solutions, mortgage origination and servicing, treasury management, and trust and investment services.