Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP) Shares Sold by AQR Capital Management LLC

AQR Capital Management LLC decreased its position in shares of Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP - Free Report) by 4.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 309,248 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 14,584 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC owned 1.06% of Univest Financial worth $9,126,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in shares of Univest Financial by 161.2% during the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,003 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 619 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Univest Financial in the third quarter valued at $79,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Univest Financial by 14.8% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 4,796 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $142,000 after buying an additional 617 shares during the last quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury acquired a new stake in shares of Univest Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $244,000. Finally, Zacks Investment Management purchased a new position in shares of Univest Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $289,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.07% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Univest Financial news, Director Anne Vazquez bought 1,250 shares of Univest Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $28.63 per share, for a total transaction of $35,787.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 6,250 shares of the company's stock, valued at $178,937.50. This represents a 25.00% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Univest Financial Price Performance

Shares of UVSP traded up $1.35 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $31.62. 5,053 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 106,013. 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 Co. has a 52-week low of $20.37 and a 52-week high of $32.75. The company has a market cap of $913.04 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.18 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $28.27 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $29.60.

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

Univest Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 21st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 7th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 7th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.78%. This is a positive change from Univest Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Univest Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.96%.

About Univest Financial

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.