United Community Banks, Inc. (NASDAQ:UCB) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• United Community Banks, Inc. (NASDAQ:UCB) has received a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from analysts, with an average one-year target price of $34.57.
• In recent insider activity, EVP Richard Bradshaw sold 1,616 shares of UCB stock, reducing his ownership by 2.02%.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.24 per share, resulting in an annualized yield of 3.2% and a payout ratio of 43.64%.

United Community Banks, Inc. (NASDAQ:UCB - Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of "Hold" from the seven brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $34.57.

UCB has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on United Community Banks from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday. DA Davidson raised their price target on shares of United Community Banks from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Raymond James Financial restated a "market perform" rating on shares of United Community Banks in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $36.00 price target on shares of United Community Banks in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Hovde Group raised their price target on shares of United Community Banks from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Richard Bradshaw sold 1,616 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.94, for a total transaction of $49,999.04. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 78,395 shares in the company, valued at $2,425,541.30. The trade was a 2.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.43% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Community Banks by 6.4% during the 2nd quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 60,446 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,801,000 after acquiring an additional 3,630 shares during the period. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D grew its position in United Community Banks by 6.7% in the 2nd quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 65,855 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,962,000 after purchasing an additional 4,109 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC grew its position in United Community Banks by 6,722,800.0% in the 2nd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 67,229 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,003,000 after purchasing an additional 67,228 shares during the period. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. acquired a new stake in United Community Banks in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,532,000. Finally, RFG Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in United Community Banks in the 2nd quarter valued at $206,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.29% of the company's stock.

United Community Banks Stock Performance

NASDAQ:UCB opened at $30.46 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $3.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.93 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The stock's 50-day moving average is $29.96 and its 200-day moving average is $29.64. United Community Banks has a 1-year low of $22.93 and a 1-year high of $35.38.

United Community Banks (NASDAQ:UCB - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.05. United Community Banks had a return on equity of 8.64% and a net margin of 16.48%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that United Community Banks will post 2.52 earnings per share for the current year.

United Community Banks Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 3rd. Investors of record on Sunday, June 15th were given a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 13th. United Community Banks's payout ratio is presently 43.64%.

United Community Banks Company Profile

United Community Banks, Inc operates as the financial holding company for United Community Bank that provides financial products and services to commercial, retail, government, education, energy, health care, and real estate sectors. It accepts various deposit products, including checking, savings, money market, and other deposit accounts.

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