Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania (NASDAQ:UVSP) Share Price Breaks Above 200 Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Univest shares rose above their 200-day moving average, reaching $41.79 and last trading at $41.65, signaling improved technical momentum.
• Analyst sentiment is generally positive: the stock has a consensus “Buy” rating, though its average price target of $40.50 is below the recent share price.
• The company reported quarterly EPS of $0.82, below the $0.87 estimate, but exceeded revenue expectations; it also pays a $0.23 quarterly dividend, representing a 2.2% yield.

Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania (NASDAQ:UVSP - Get Free Report)'s share price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday. The stock has a 200-day moving average of $40.59 and traded as high as $41.79. Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania shares last traded at $41.65, with a volume of 173,836 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on UVSP shares. Weiss Ratings raised Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (a-)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $40.50.

Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania Stock Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average of $42.47 and a 200 day moving average of $40.59. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The firm has a market cap of $1.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.04 and a beta of 0.67.

Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania (NASDAQ:UVSP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.87 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $89.59 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $86.66 million. Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania had a return on equity of 10.41% and a net margin of 18.86%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania will post 3.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 5th were paid a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 5th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania

In related news, Director Michael Turner sold 8,000 shares of Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.03, for a total transaction of $344,240.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 24,684 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,062,152.52. The trade was a 24.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.83% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in shares of Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania by 18.1% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 225,853 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $7,738,000 after purchasing an additional 34,557 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania during the first quarter worth $1,246,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its position in Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania by 124.9% during the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 52,472 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,317,000 after acquiring an additional 29,138 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania by 359.9% during the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 99,155 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,397,000 after acquiring an additional 77,594 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania by 39.2% during the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 358,183 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $15,671,000 after acquiring an additional 100,780 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.07% of the company's stock.

About Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania

Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania is a financial services holding company headquartered in Souderton, Pennsylvania. Through its principal banking subsidiary, Univest Bank and Trust Co, the company provides banking and related financial services to individuals, families, businesses, municipalities and nonprofit organizations.

Its offerings include checking and savings accounts, consumer and residential lending, commercial loans, treasury management, cash-management services and other deposit products.

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