United Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBSI) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts have a consensus “Hold” rating on United Bankshares, with four holds and three buys; the average 12-month price target is $47.80.
• United Bankshares exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $0.95 in EPS versus the $0.89 consensus and revenue of $323.82 million, ahead of estimates.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.38 per share, equivalent to $1.52 annually and a 3.2% yield; institutional investors own 70.8% of the stock.

United Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBSI - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of "Hold" from the seven ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $47.80.

UBSI has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on United Bankshares from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Raymond James Financial upped their target price on shares of United Bankshares from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of United Bankshares from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 25th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of United Bankshares in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Hovde Group increased their price objective on shares of United Bankshares from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th.

Insider Transactions at United Bankshares

In related news, Director Mark Nesselroad sold 3,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.42, for a total transaction of $148,544.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 32,224 shares in the company, valued at $1,495,838.08. This trade represents a 9.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 3.16% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of United Bankshares

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of UBSI. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. purchased a new position in shares of United Bankshares in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC lifted its holdings in United Bankshares by 64.4% during the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 786 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 308 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP acquired a new stake in United Bankshares during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $43,000. Nykredit A S purchased a new position in United Bankshares in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $52,000. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its position in United Bankshares by 47.5% in the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 1,236 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 398 shares during the period. 70.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Bankshares Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NASDAQ UBSI opened at $47.02 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $47.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $44.74. The company has a market capitalization of $6.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.81 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.97. United Bankshares has a 1 year low of $34.10 and a 1 year high of $49.62.

United Bankshares (NASDAQ:UBSI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $323.82 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $320.07 million. United Bankshares had a return on equity of 9.39% and a net margin of 27.97%.During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.85 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that United Bankshares will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current year.

United Bankshares Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th will be issued a $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 11th. United Bankshares's payout ratio is currently 41.42%.

United Bankshares Company Profile

United Bankshares, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in Charleston, West Virginia. Through its principal subsidiary, United Bank, the company provides community banking services to individuals, businesses, and institutions. Its offerings include checking and savings accounts, consumer and commercial loans, residential mortgages, treasury management, online and mobile banking, wealth management, trust services, and other financial solutions.

United Bankshares operates a regional banking network serving communities in West Virginia, Virginia, Ohio, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia.

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