Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Invests $803,000 in United Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBSI)

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group Inc. recently acquired 23,170 shares of United Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBSI), valued at approximately $803,000.
• United Bankshares shares are currently trading at $35.62, down 0.4%, with a market cap of $5.06 billion and a PE ratio of 12.59.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.37 per share, yielding 4.2%, with a payout ratio of 52.30%.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in United Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBSI - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 23,170 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $803,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of United Bankshares by 726.5% in the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 967 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 850 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in United Bankshares by 144.2% in the 1st quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,155 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 682 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its stake in United Bankshares by 226.9% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,651 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 1,146 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake in United Bankshares by 44.4% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,699 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 522 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hughes Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in United Bankshares in the 1st quarter worth about $60,000. 70.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on UBSI shares. Wall Street Zen lowered United Bankshares from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on shares of United Bankshares from $42.00 to $40.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 28th.

United Bankshares Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ UBSI traded up $0.38 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $35.75. 420,457 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 861,610. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.08 billion, a PE ratio of 12.63 and a beta of 0.79. United Bankshares, Inc. has a one year low of $30.50 and a one year high of $44.43. The company's 50 day moving average is $36.47 and its 200 day moving average is $35.89.

United Bankshares (NASDAQ:UBSI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $306.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $297.98 million. United Bankshares had a return on equity of 7.65% and a net margin of 23.14%. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.71 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that United Bankshares, Inc. will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current year.

United Bankshares Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th were given a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 13th. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.1%. United Bankshares's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 52.30%.

About United Bankshares

United Bankshares, Inc, through its subsidiaries, primarily provides commercial and retail banking products and services in the United States. It operates through two segments, Community Banking and Mortgage Banking. The company accepts checking, savings, and time and money market accounts; individual retirement accounts; and demand deposits, statement and special savings, and NOW accounts.