Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP – Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest in the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 200,000 shares, a drop of 20.5% from the June 30th total of 251,700 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 110,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.8 days. Approximately 0.7% of the shares of the stock are short sold.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of brokerages recently weighed in on UVSP. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on shares of Univest Financial from $24.00 to $22.00 in a report on Friday, April 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on Univest Financial from $31.00 to $30.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 6th. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on Univest Financial in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock.
Univest Financial Stock Down 1.0 %
Shares of Univest Financial stock traded down $0.19 on Friday, hitting $19.62. 91,644 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 107,605. Univest Financial has a 12-month low of $16.11 and a 12-month high of $29.06. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The company has a market cap of $577.42 million, a PE ratio of 7.01 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $18.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $22.39.
Univest Financial (NASDAQ:UVSP – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 26th. The financial services provider reported $0.71 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $79.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $80.63 million. Univest Financial had a net margin of 20.85% and a return on equity of 10.76%. Sell-side analysts predict that Univest Financial will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current year.
Univest Financial Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 23rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 8th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.28%. Univest Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.00%.
Insider Buying and Selling at Univest Financial
In related news, Director Martin P. Connor acquired 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 9th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $17.25 per share, for a total transaction of $86,250.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 5,020 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $86,595. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 2.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Univest Financial
Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its position in shares of Univest Financial by 38.3% in the second quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 1,525 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 422 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Univest Financial in the first quarter valued at approximately $63,000. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. raised its position in shares of Univest Financial by 333.3% in the first quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 3,900 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $104,000 after purchasing an additional 3,000 shares during the period. UBS Group AG boosted its holdings in shares of Univest Financial by 22.0% during the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 5,996 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $141,000 after buying an additional 1,081 shares during the period. Finally, Keeley Teton Advisors LLC bought a new position in Univest Financial in the 1st quarter worth $206,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.01% of the company’s stock.
Univest Financial Company Profile
Univest Financial Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Univest Bank and Trust Co that provides banking products and services primarily in Pennsylvania. It operates through three segments: Banking, Wealth Management, and Insurance. The Banking segment offers a range of banking services, such as deposit taking, loan origination and servicing, mortgage banking, other general banking, and equipment lease financing services for individuals, businesses, municipalities, and nonprofit organizations.