11,988 Shares in Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP) Bought by Cary Street Partners Financial LLC

Cary Street Partners Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 11,988 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $354,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its stake in Univest Financial by 189.8% in the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 398,475 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $11,759,000 after purchasing an additional 260,990 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Univest Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,299,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in shares of Univest Financial by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,204,530 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $35,546,000 after acquiring an additional 75,964 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Univest Financial by 12.7% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 632,354 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $18,661,000 after acquiring an additional 71,265 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Univest Financial by 64.4% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 103,531 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,913,000 after purchasing an additional 40,545 shares during the last quarter. 75.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Univest Financial

In other news, Director Anne Vazquez purchased 1,250 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were bought at an average price of $28.63 per share, for a total transaction of $35,787.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 6,250 shares of the company's stock, valued at $178,937.50. This trade represents a 25.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Univest Financial Stock Performance

Shares of UVSP stock opened at $30.36 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $876.80 million, a P/E ratio of 11.72 and a beta of 0.73. The business has a 50 day moving average of $28.27 and a two-hundred day moving average of $29.58. Univest Financial Co. has a 52 week low of $20.37 and a 52 week high of $32.75. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

Univest Financial (NASDAQ:UVSP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.13. Univest Financial had a return on equity of 8.51% and a net margin of 15.17%. The business had revenue of $79.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $77.65 million. As a group, analysts anticipate that Univest Financial Co. will post 2.36 EPS for the current year.

Univest Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 21st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 7th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 7th. This is a boost from Univest Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Univest Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.96%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Stephens reiterated an "equal weight" rating and set a $31.00 target price on shares of Univest Financial in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd.

Univest Financial Profile

Univest Financial Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Univest Bank and Trust Co that provides banking products and services primarily in the United States. 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.

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