Short Interest in Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP) Decreases By 25.4%

Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 265,200 shares, a drop of 25.4% from the March 31st total of 355,500 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 122,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.2 days. Currently, 0.9% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Stephens reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and issued a $31.00 target price on shares of Univest Financial in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd.

Univest Financial Price Performance

NASDAQ:UVSP traded up $0.79 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $30.52. The company's stock had a trading volume of 84,831 shares, compared to its average volume of 106,128. Univest Financial has a fifty-two week low of $20.37 and a fifty-two week high of $32.75. The company has a market capitalization of $885.14 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.78 and a beta of 0.73. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $28.25 and a 200-day moving average of $29.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

Univest Financial (NASDAQ:UVSP - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $79.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $77.65 million. Univest Financial had a return on equity of 8.51% and a net margin of 15.17%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Univest Financial will post 2.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Univest Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 21st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 7th will be given a $0.22 dividend. This is an increase from Univest Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 7th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.88%. Univest Financial's payout ratio is presently 32.96%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Anne Vazquez acquired 1,250 shares of Univest Financial stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was bought at an average price of $28.63 per share, for a total transaction of $35,787.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,250 shares of the company's stock, valued at $178,937.50. The trade was a 25.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders have bought a total of 2,598 shares of company stock valued at $75,476 over the last three months. 1.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of Univest Financial by 189.8% during the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 398,475 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $11,759,000 after acquiring an additional 260,990 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Univest Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $2,299,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its holdings in Univest Financial by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,204,530 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $35,546,000 after purchasing an additional 75,964 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in Univest Financial by 12.7% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 632,354 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $18,661,000 after purchasing an additional 71,265 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Univest Financial by 64.4% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 103,531 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,913,000 after purchasing an additional 40,545 shares during the last quarter. 75.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Univest Financial Company Profile

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.