United Bankshares (NASDAQ:UBSI) Rating Lowered to Hold at Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research downgraded United Bankshares (UBSI) from "strong-buy" to "hold"; the stock's consensus rating is now Hold with an average price target of $44.67, though analysts remain mixed (e.g., Piper Sandler overweight at $47, Weiss upgraded to buy).
• UBSI reported a quarterly beat with EPS of $0.91 vs. $0.86 expected and revenue of $430.85M vs. $315.5M estimated, alongside a 25.5% net margin and 8.6% return on equity.
• The shares trade around $40.36 (52‑week range $30.50–$45.92), carry a $5.63B market cap and 12.34 PE, and are largely institutionally owned (about 70.8%) with notable stakes by Dimensional, Geode and Norges Bank.

United Bankshares (NASDAQ:UBSI - Get Free Report) was downgraded by analysts at Zacks Research from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

UBSI has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Stephens lifted their price target on shares of United Bankshares from $40.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on United Bankshares from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Weiss Ratings raised United Bankshares from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $47.00 target price on shares of United Bankshares in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $44.67.

United Bankshares Stock Performance

NASDAQ UBSI opened at $40.36 on Thursday. United Bankshares has a 52-week low of $30.50 and a 52-week high of $45.92. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $41.99 and a 200 day simple moving average of $39.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.99. The company has a market capitalization of $5.63 billion, a PE ratio of 12.34 and a beta of 0.76.

United Bankshares (NASDAQ:UBSI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.86 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $430.85 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $315.50 million. United Bankshares had a net margin of 25.51% and a return on equity of 8.60%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.69 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that United Bankshares will post 2.81 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of UBSI. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of United Bankshares by 0.3% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 7,741,908 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $288,076,000 after acquiring an additional 24,631 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of United Bankshares by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,802,338 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $146,030,000 after purchasing an additional 183,950 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of United Bankshares by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,624,628 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $134,872,000 after purchasing an additional 42,255 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of United Bankshares by 367.5% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,935,979 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $70,528,000 after purchasing an additional 1,521,864 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in United Bankshares during the 4th quarter worth about $68,366,000. 70.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About United Bankshares

United Bankshares, Inc, headquartered in Charleston, West Virginia, is a bank holding company that provides a full range of financial services through its primary subsidiary, United Bank. The company's core offerings include retail and commercial banking products such as checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, personal and business loans, mortgages, and treasury management services. In addition, United Bankshares delivers private banking, wealth management, trust and fiduciary solutions, and investment advisory services to meet the needs of individual, corporate, and institutional clients.

United Bankshares operates an extensive branch network across West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina.

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