United Community Banks (NYSE:UCB) Stock: Insider Richard Bradshaw Sells 1,345 Shares

Key Points

• Insider sale: EVP Richard Bradshaw sold 1,345 United Community Banks shares for approximately $49,994, reducing his direct holdings by 1.61% to 82,054 shares.
• Stock and earnings: UCB shares traded near $37.05, close to their 52-week high of $37.45. The company reported quarterly EPS of $0.77, in line with analyst expectations, on revenue of $291.9 million.
• Investor outlook: United Community Banks raised its quarterly dividend to $0.26 per share, representing a 2.8% yield. Analysts maintain an overall “Buy” rating with an average price target of $40.00, while institutional investors own 82.29% of the stock.

United Community Banks, Inc. (NYSE:UCB - Get Free Report) EVP Richard Bradshaw sold 1,345 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, October 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.17, for a total value of $49,993.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 82,054 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,049,947.18. This represents a 1.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

United Community Banks Price Performance

UCB stock traded up $0.06 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $37.05. The company had a trading volume of 1,246,091 shares, compared to its average volume of 918,634. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.78. United Community Banks, Inc. has a 1 year low of $28.65 and a 1 year high of $37.45. The company has a market capitalization of $4.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.39 and a beta of 0.88. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $34.74 and a 200-day moving average price of $34.43.

United Community Banks (NYSE:UCB - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 20th. The company reported $0.77 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.77. United Community Banks had a return on equity of 9.66% and a net margin of 9.06%. The business had revenue of $291.90 million for the quarter. On average, research analysts anticipate that United Community Banks, Inc. will post 3.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Community Banks Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, October 5th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were given a dividend of $0.26 per share. This is a boost from United Community Banks's previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. United Community Banks's dividend payout ratio is currently 88.14%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on UCB shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on United Community Banks from $40.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of United Community Banks from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of United Community Banks from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, September 12th. TD Cowen raised shares of United Community Banks to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Stephens increased their target price on shares of United Community Banks from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $40.00.

Institutional Trading of United Community Banks

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in United Community Banks during the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Willis Investment Counsel purchased a new stake in shares of United Community Banks during the third quarter worth about $399,000. Barlow Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in shares of United Community Banks by 42.0% during the third quarter. Barlow Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,546 shares of the company's stock worth $288,000 after purchasing an additional 2,526 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in United Community Banks by 18.5% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,885 shares of the company's stock valued at $296,000 after purchasing an additional 1,389 shares during the period. Finally, Everhart Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in United Community Banks by 7.6% during the 3rd quarter. Everhart Financial Group Inc. now owns 27,399 shares of the company's stock valued at $914,000 after purchasing an additional 1,936 shares during the period. 82.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

United Community Banks Company Profile

United Community Banks, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in Blairsville, Georgia. Through its principal subsidiary, United Community Bank, the company provides banking and financial services to consumers, businesses and communities primarily across the Southeastern United States.

United Community Bank offers deposit accounts, consumer and commercial lending, residential mortgages, credit cards, online and mobile banking, treasury management and other financial services. Its lending activities include commercial real estate, business, construction, residential and consumer loans.

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