First United (NASDAQ:FUNC) Stock Crosses Above 200 Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• First United's stock crossed above its 200-day moving average (200‑day MA $37.43), trading as high as $38.47 and last at $38.18 — up about 1.8% on the session.
• Analysts and earnings beat: Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a Buy (b-) and the consensus is Buy; the bank reported Q results of $1.02 EPS vs. $0.92 expected and revenue of $23.41M vs. $22.83M, with a 20.6% net margin and 13.5% ROE.
• Dividend and institutional interest: The company pays a $0.26 quarterly dividend (annualized $1.04, ~2.7% yield, DPR 26.6%), and institutional ownership is ~33% with several funds (e.g., Millennium, Goldman Sachs, Jane Street) increasing stakes.

First United Corporation (NASDAQ:FUNC - Get Free Report)'s share price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $37.43 and traded as high as $38.47. First United shares last traded at $38.18, with a volume of 9,023 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of First United in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy".

First United Stock Up 1.8%

The company's 50 day moving average price is $36.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $37.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The stock has a market cap of $248.21 million, a P/E ratio of 9.76 and a beta of 0.52.

First United (NASDAQ:FUNC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The bank reported $1.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.92 by $0.10. First United had a net margin of 20.55% and a return on equity of 13.51%. The firm had revenue of $23.41 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.83 million. As a group, research analysts expect that First United Corporation will post 4.4 earnings per share for the current year.

First United Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 1st. Investors of record on Friday, April 17th were issued a dividend of $0.26 per share. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 17th. First United's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.60%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First United

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of FUNC. Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in First United by 349.9% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 140,586 shares of the bank's stock valued at $4,220,000 after buying an additional 109,340 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of First United by 53.2% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 58,718 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,763,000 after acquiring an additional 20,387 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in shares of First United by 6.7% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 26,549 shares of the bank's stock worth $797,000 after acquiring an additional 1,656 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its position in First United by 67.4% during the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 26,035 shares of the bank's stock valued at $782,000 after acquiring an additional 10,483 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in First United by 112.3% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 139,939 shares of the bank's stock valued at $4,340,000 after acquiring an additional 74,032 shares during the last quarter. 33.27% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About First United

First United Corporation is a bank holding company that, through its subsidiary First United Bank & Trust, provides a full suite of commercial and consumer banking services to individuals, businesses, and agricultural customers across central Oklahoma. The company offers deposit accounts such as checking, savings, money market and time deposits, alongside a variety of lending solutions covering commercial real estate, construction, agricultural and consumer loans.

In addition to traditional banking products, First United delivers treasury management and cash management solutions designed to streamline client operations, as well as online and mobile banking platforms for account access and payments.

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