Does Provident Financial (PFS) Have the Potential to Rally 28.82% as Wall Street Analysts Expect?

Core Viewpoint - Provident Financial (PFS) shows potential for significant upside, with a mean price target of $21.50 indicating a 28.8% increase from its current price of $16.69 [1] Price Targets and Analyst Consensus - The average price target for PFS ranges from a low of $18 to a high of $24, with a standard deviation of $2.17, suggesting a moderate agreement among analysts [2] - The lowest estimate indicates a 7.9% increase, while the highest suggests a 43.8% upside [2] - A low standard deviation indicates a high degree of agreement among analysts regarding the stock's price movement direction [9] Earnings Estimates and Analyst Optimism - Analysts have shown increasing optimism about PFS's earnings prospects, as evidenced by a strong consensus in revising EPS estimates higher [11] - Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has increased by 0.3%, with two estimates moving higher and no negative revisions [12] - PFS holds a Zacks Rank 2 (Buy), placing it in the top 20% of over 4,000 ranked stocks based on earnings estimates [13]