Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Raises Holdings in United Community Banks, Inc. $UCB

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in United Community Banks, Inc. by 1.5%, owning approximately 5.15% of the company's stock worth $173 million at the end of the latest reporting period.
• United Community Banks recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share, reflecting a 4.17% increase from its previous dividend and representing a 3.2% annualized yield.
• The company reported a 6.1% increase in quarterly revenue year-over-year and exceeded EPS estimates, with a reported $0.66 compared to the expected $0.61.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in United Community Banks, Inc. (NASDAQ:UCB - Free Report) by 1.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 6,151,914 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 92,952 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 5.15% of United Community Banks worth $173,047,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cerity Partners LLC acquired a new position in United Community Banks during the 4th quarter valued at about $271,000. Bank of Montreal Can acquired a new stake in United Community Banks during the 4th quarter worth about $508,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Community Banks during the 4th quarter valued at $124,000. Barclays PLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Community Banks during the 4th quarter worth about $8,127,000. Finally, Mariner LLC bought a new stake in United Community Banks in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,877,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.29% of the company's stock.

United Community Banks Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:UCB traded up $1.5190 on Friday, hitting $32.8090. The company's stock had a trading volume of 986,154 shares, compared to its average volume of 714,932. The company has a market capitalization of $3.99 billion, a PE ratio of 16.08 and a beta of 0.83. United Community Banks, Inc. has a 1 year low of $22.93 and a 1 year high of $35.38. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $30.56 and a 200 day simple moving average of $29.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.78.

United Community Banks (NASDAQ:UCB - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. United Community Banks's revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that United Community Banks, Inc. will post 2.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Community Banks Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a $0.25 dividend. This is an increase from United Community Banks's previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. United Community Banks's dividend payout ratio is 45.45%.

Insider Transactions at United Community Banks

In related news, EVP Richard Bradshaw sold 1,616 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.94, for a total value of $49,999.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 78,395 shares in the company, valued at $2,425,541.30. The trade was a 2.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.54% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

United Community Banks 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.