Union Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:UNB) Short Interest Down 48.9% in March

Union Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:UNB - Get Free Report) was the target of a large drop in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 6,800 shares, a drop of 48.9% from the February 29th total of 13,300 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 3,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.7 days. Currently, 0.2% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Union Bankshares Price Performance

Union Bankshares stock traded up $0.03 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $30.50. The stock had a trading volume of 3,370 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,883. The stock has a market capitalization of $137.56 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.20 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.79. Union Bankshares has a 1-year low of $20.07 and a 1-year high of $32.00. The stock's fifty day moving average is $30.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $28.21.

Union Bankshares (NASDAQ:UNB - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 17th. The bank reported $0.68 EPS for the quarter. Union Bankshares had a net margin of 18.38% and a return on equity of 19.89%.

Union Bankshares Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 1st. Stockholders of record on Saturday, January 27th were given a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.72%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 25th. Union Bankshares's dividend payout ratio is presently 57.60%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Union Bankshares in a research report on Thursday. They set a "hold" rating on the stock.

Institutional Trading of Union Bankshares

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of UNB. Cardinal Capital Management increased its position in Union Bankshares by 4.3% during the third quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 42,704 shares of the bank's stock worth $957,000 after purchasing an additional 1,754 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of Union Bankshares by 19.2% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 27,710 shares of the bank's stock worth $849,000 after buying an additional 4,461 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Union Bankshares by 3.3% in the third quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 27,209 shares of the bank's stock valued at $584,000 after acquiring an additional 874 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. increased its stake in Union Bankshares by 15.8% during the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 12,795 shares of the bank's stock worth $297,000 after acquiring an additional 1,742 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Union Bankshares by 13.9% in the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 8,445 shares of the bank's stock valued at $260,000 after purchasing an additional 1,033 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 14.84% of the company's stock.

Union Bankshares Company Profile

Union Bankshares, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Union Bank that provides retail, commercial, and municipal banking products and services in northern Vermont and New Hampshire. It offers retail depository services, such as personal checking, savings, money market, IRA/SEP/KEOGH, and health savings accounts, as well as certificates of deposit.