Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP) Sees Significant Decline in Short Interest

Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in the month of 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 volume of 122,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.2 days. Currently, 0.9% of the company's shares are short sold.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Anne Vazquez purchased 1,250 shares of Univest Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were bought at an average price of $28.63 per share, with a total value of $35,787.50. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 6,250 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $178,937.50. This represents a 25.00 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.70% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Univest Financial

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its holdings in Univest Financial by 161.2% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,003 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 619 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of Univest Financial during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $79,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in Univest Financial by 14.8% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 4,796 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $142,000 after acquiring an additional 617 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Univest Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $240,000. Finally, State of Tennessee Department of Treasury purchased a new position in Univest Financial in the fourth quarter worth $244,000. 75.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Univest Financial Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of UVSP stock traded down $0.17 on Tuesday, hitting $30.38. The stock had a trading volume of 2,955 shares, compared to its average volume of 105,619. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. Univest Financial has a one year low of $20.37 and a one year high of $32.75. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $28.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $29.52. The company has a market cap of $880.96 million, a PE ratio of 11.77 and a beta of 0.73.

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

Univest Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 21st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 7th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 7th. This is an increase from Univest Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.90%. Univest Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.96%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

About Univest Financial

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.