The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Grows Position in Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP)

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in shares of Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP - Free Report) by 6.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,204,530 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 75,964 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned approximately 4.15% of Univest Financial worth $35,546,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its stake in shares of Univest Financial by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 239,059 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $7,055,000 after acquiring an additional 3,769 shares in the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of Univest Financial by 23.0% during the fourth quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 173,024 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $5,106,000 after purchasing an additional 32,400 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in shares of Univest Financial by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 152,028 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $4,486,000 after purchasing an additional 807 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in Univest Financial by 34.4% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 139,102 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $4,105,000 after purchasing an additional 35,571 shares in the last quarter. 75.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Univest Financial Trading Up 1.1 %

UVSP traded up $0.34 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $30.17. 11,696 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 105,769. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $28.26 and its 200 day simple moving average is $29.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $874.85 million, a P/E ratio of 11.65 and a beta of 0.73. Univest Financial Co. has a one year low of $20.37 and a one year high of $32.75.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $79.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $77.65 million. Univest Financial had a return on equity of 8.51% and a net margin of 15.17%. As a group, analysts forecast that Univest Financial Co. will post 2.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Univest Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 21st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 7th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.92%. This is a boost from Univest Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 7th. Univest Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently 32.96%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Univest Financial

In related news, Director Anne Vazquez acquired 1,250 shares of Univest Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was bought at an average price of $28.63 per share, with a total value of $35,787.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,250 shares in the company, valued at approximately $178,937.50. This represents a 25.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.70% of the company's stock.

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.