Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP - Get Free Report) saw a significant increase in short interest in April. As of April 30th, there was short interest totalling 325,000 shares, an increase of 22.9% from the April 15th total of 264,500 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 96,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.4 days. Currently, 1.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short.
Insider Transactions at Univest Financial
In related news, CEO Jeffrey M. Schweitzer sold 9,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.55, for a total value of $202,950.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 90,187 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,033,716.85. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.09% of the company's stock.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Univest Financial
A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Univest Financial by 1.2% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,571,213 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $32,713,000 after purchasing an additional 19,307 shares in the last quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System bought a new stake in Univest Financial in the 1st quarter valued at $465,000. Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in Univest Financial by 28.3% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 118,994 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,478,000 after acquiring an additional 26,234 shares in the last quarter. Bernardo Wealth Planning LLC bought a new stake in Univest Financial in the 1st quarter valued at $260,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in Univest Financial by 8.0% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 82,701 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,722,000 after acquiring an additional 6,125 shares in the last quarter. 75.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of research firms have commented on UVSP. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of Univest Financial from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and set a $23.00 target price (up previously from $22.00) on shares of Univest Financial in a report on Friday, April 26th.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on UVSP
Univest Financial Trading Down 0.3 %
Shares of NASDAQ UVSP traded down $0.06 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $22.59. 147,493 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 107,458. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $20.25 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $20.05. The company has a market capitalization of $661.21 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.59 and a beta of 0.87. Univest Financial has a 12 month low of $16.10 and a 12 month high of $23.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 1.01.
Univest Financial Dividend Announcement
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 8th will be given a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 7th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.72%. Univest Financial's dividend payout ratio is 35.15%.
About Univest Financial
(
Get Free Report)
Univest Financial Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Univest Bank and Trust Co that provides banking products and services primarily in the United States. It operates through three segments: Banking, Wealth Management, and Insurance. The Banking segment offers a range of banking services, such as deposit taking, loan origination and servicing, mortgage banking, other general banking, and equipment lease financing services for individuals, businesses, municipalities, and nonprofit organizations.
Featured Stories
Before you consider Univest Financial, you'll want to hear this.
MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Univest Financial wasn't on the list.
While Univest Financial currently has a "Hold" rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.
View The Five Stocks Here
MarketBeat has just released its list of 20 stocks that Wall Street analysts hate. These companies may appear to have good fundamentals, but top analysts smell something seriously rotten. Are any of these companies lurking around your portfolio? Find out by clicking the link below.
Get This Free Report
