25,667 Shares in United Community Banks, Inc. $UCB Acquired by Caxton Associates LLP

Key Points

• Caxton Associates LLP purchased 25,667 shares of United Community Banks, valued at approximately $722,000, reflecting ongoing institutional interest in the bank's stock.
• United Community Banks recently increased its quarterly dividend from $0.24 to $0.25, providing a dividend yield of 3.1%.
• Analysts have rated United Community Banks with a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $34.57, with some firms upgrading their price targets following recent positive earnings results.

Caxton Associates LLP bought a new stake in United Community Banks, Inc. (NASDAQ:UCB - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 25,667 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $722,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of UCB. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of United Community Banks in the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new position in shares of United Community Banks in the 1st quarter valued at $37,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in shares of United Community Banks in the 4th quarter valued at $42,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB acquired a new position in shares of United Community Banks in the 1st quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, CWM LLC purchased a new position in United Community Banks in the 1st quarter valued at $62,000. 82.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at United Community Banks

In other news, EVP Richard Bradshaw sold 1,616 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.94, for a total transaction of $49,999.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 78,395 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,425,541.30. This represents a 2.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.43% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

United Community Banks Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of NASDAQ UCB traded down $0.57 on Tuesday, reaching $31.13. 68,014 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 692,214. United Community Banks, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $22.93 and a fifty-two week high of $35.38. The company has a 50 day moving average of $31.67 and a 200 day moving average of $29.36. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.78 billion, a PE ratio of 15.26 and a beta of 0.86.

United Community Banks (NASDAQ:UCB - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.05. United Community Banks had a net margin of 16.48% and a return on equity of 8.64%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that United Community Banks, Inc. will post 2.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Community Banks Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. This is an increase from United Community Banks's previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. United Community Banks's dividend payout ratio is currently 45.45%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UCB has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Hovde Group lifted their price objective on shares of United Community Banks from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. Raymond James Financial reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of United Community Banks in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. DA Davidson lifted their price objective on shares of United Community Banks from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of United Community Banks from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Community Banks has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $34.57.

United Community Banks Company Profile

United Community Banks, Inc operates as the financial holding company for United Community Bank that provides financial products and services to commercial, retail, government, education, energy, health care, and real estate sectors. It accepts various deposit products, including checking, savings, money market, and other deposit accounts.