United Community Banks, Inc. (NYSE:UCB) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• United Community Banks, Inc. (NYSE:UCB) has received a consensus rating of "Hold" from analysts, with five hold recommendations and three buy recommendations.
• The company recently increased its quarterly dividend to $0.25, representing a 3.1% yield, up from the previous $0.24.
• United Community Banks reported an earnings per share (EPS) of $0.66 for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' estimates of $0.61 by $0.05.

Shares of United Community Banks, Inc. (NYSE:UCB - Get Free Report) have been given an average rating of "Hold" by the eight analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $34.5714.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on UCB. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of United Community Banks in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. DA Davidson lifted their target price on shares of United Community Banks from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. Hovde Group lifted their target price on shares of United Community Banks from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. Raymond James Financial lowered shares of United Community Banks from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of United Community Banks from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 26th.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Community Banks

In other news, EVP Richard Bradshaw sold 1,616 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.94, for a total value of $49,999.04. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 78,395 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,425,541.30. This represents a 2.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.54% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Community Banks

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in United Community Banks during the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in United Community Banks during the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in United Community Banks by 213.8% during the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,048 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 714 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in United Community Banks by 130.9% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,951 shares of the company's stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 1,106 shares during the period. Finally, CWM LLC acquired a new position in United Community Banks during the 1st quarter valued at about $62,000. Institutional investors own 82.29% of the company's stock.

United Community Banks Price Performance

NYSE:UCB opened at $32.44 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $3.94 billion, a PE ratio of 14.74 and a beta of 0.83. United Community Banks has a one year low of $22.93 and a one year high of $35.38. The firm's fifty day moving average is $31.87. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04.

United Community Banks (NYSE:UCB - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $260.24 million during the quarter. United Community Banks had a net margin of 17.93% and a return on equity of 8.91%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis.

United Community Banks Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 15th. This is a positive change from United Community Banks's previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. United Community Banks's payout ratio is currently 45.45%.

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. The company accepts various deposit products, including checking, savings, money market, and other deposit accounts.

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