United Bankshares, Inc. $UBSI Stock Position Increased by Earnest Partners LLC

Key Points

• Earnest Partners LLC has increased its stake in United Bankshares, Inc. by 0.4%, owning approximately 4.2 million shares worth $146 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• United Bankshares recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.37 per share, set to be paid on October 1st, which represents an annualized yield of 3.8%.
• Analysts have a consensus rating of "Hold" for UBSI, with an average target price of $40.50, following recent mixed ratings changes from various research firms.

Earnest Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of United Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBSI - Free Report) by 0.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,214,634 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 15,498 shares during the period. Earnest Partners LLC owned approximately 2.94% of United Bankshares worth $146,121,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cerity Partners LLC grew its holdings in United Bankshares by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 42,211 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,463,000 after purchasing an additional 346 shares in the last quarter. Amalgamated Bank grew its holdings in United Bankshares by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 62,509 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,167,000 after purchasing an additional 698 shares in the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System grew its holdings in United Bankshares by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 133,107 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $4,615,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its holdings in United Bankshares by 8.6% during the 1st quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 16,719 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $579,000 after purchasing an additional 1,330 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nomura Holdings Inc. acquired a new stake in United Bankshares during the 4th quarter valued at $671,000. 70.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Bankshares Stock Performance

Shares of United Bankshares stock traded down $0.12 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $38.34. The company's stock had a trading volume of 512,627 shares, compared to its average volume of 599,401. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $37.05 and its 200 day simple moving average is $35.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98. United Bankshares, Inc. has a one year low of $30.50 and a one year high of $44.43. The stock has a market cap of $5.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.55 and a beta of 0.82.

United Bankshares (NASDAQ:UBSI - Get Free Report) last posted 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. United Bankshares had a net margin of 23.14% and a return on equity of 7.65%. The company had revenue of $306.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $297.98 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.71 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that United Bankshares, Inc. will post 2.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Bankshares Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 12th will be given a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 12th. United Bankshares's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 52.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of United Bankshares from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Zacks Research raised shares of United Bankshares to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $40.50.

United Bankshares Profile

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.