Richard Bradshaw Sells 1,616 Shares of United Community Banks, Inc. (NASDAQ:UCB) Stock

Key Points

• United Community Banks, Inc. EVP Richard Bradshaw sold 1,616 shares of stock for approximately $50,000, reducing his holding by 2.02% to 78,395 shares.
• The company reported a quarterly earnings per share of $0.66, exceeding analysts' expectations of $0.61, and highlighted a 6.1% year-over-year revenue increase.
• The latest stock analysis indicates a mixed sentiment, with several firms updating their price targets, currently averaging around $34.57 and a consensus holding rating.

United Community Banks, Inc. (NASDAQ:UCB - Get Free Report) EVP Richard Bradshaw sold 1,616 shares of United Community Banks stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,425,541.30. This represents a 2.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

United Community Banks Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:UCB traded down $0.48 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $30.76. 531,983 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 729,943. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.78. United Community Banks, Inc. has a 12-month low of $22.93 and a 12-month high of $35.38. The firm has a market cap of $3.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.08 and a beta of 0.78. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $29.92 and its 200 day moving average price is $29.64.

United Community Banks (NASDAQ:UCB - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 return on equity of 8.64% and a net margin of 16.48%. United Community Banks's revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Community Banks, Inc. will post 2.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Community Banks Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 3rd. Investors of record on Sunday, June 15th were issued a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 13th. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.12%. United Community Banks's dividend payout ratio is presently 43.64%.

Institutional Trading of United Community Banks

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UCB. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in United Community Banks in the first quarter worth $26,000. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in United Community Banks in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new stake in United Community Banks in the first quarter worth $37,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in United Community Banks in the fourth quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC acquired a new stake in United Community Banks in the fourth quarter worth $45,000. 82.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on UCB. Raymond James Financial reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of United Community Banks in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $36.00 target price on shares of United Community Banks in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. DA Davidson boosted their target price on shares of United Community Banks from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on United Community Banks from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Hovde Group lifted their price target on United Community Banks from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, United Community Banks presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $34.57.

About United Community Banks

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.