Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania (NASDAQ:UVSP) Stock Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Here's Why

Key Points

• UVSP shares rose above their 200-day moving average, reaching $42.50 and last trading at $41.84, compared with a 200-day average of $40.05.
• Analyst sentiment improved, with Zacks Research upgrading the stock to “strong buy” and Weiss Ratings raising its rating to “buy (a-)”; MarketBeat lists an average rating of “Buy” and a $40.50 price target.
• Univest reported quarterly EPS of $0.82, below the $0.87 consensus, while revenue of $89.59 million exceeded estimates. The company also paid a quarterly dividend of $0.23, equal to a 2.2% annualized yield.

Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania (NASDAQ:UVSP - Get Free Report) shares passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $40.05 and traded as high as $42.50. Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania shares last traded at $41.84, with a volume of 194,838 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $1.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.09 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $42.96 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $40.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02.

Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania (NASDAQ:UVSP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.82 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $89.59 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $86.66 million. Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania had a net margin of 18.86% and a return on equity of 10.41%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania will post 3.67 EPS for the current year.

Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania

In other news, Director Michael Turner sold 8,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.03, for a total transaction of $344,240.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 24,684 shares in the company, valued at $1,062,152.52. The trade was a 24.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 1.83% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania by 71.3% in the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 783 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 326 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp bought a new position in shares of Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania during the 1st quarter worth approximately $260,000. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $358,000. Amundi acquired a new position in shares of Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania during the 1st quarter worth approximately $440,000. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC bought a new stake in Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania in the 4th quarter valued at $484,000. Institutional investors own 75.07% of the company's stock.

Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania Company Profile

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

Univest's banking products and services include checking and savings accounts, consumer and commercial loans, mortgages, cash-management solutions, online and mobile banking, and treasury-management services.

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