Short Interest in Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP) Grows By 19.7%

Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 355,500 shares, an increase of 19.7% from the March 15th total of 296,900 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 111,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.2 days. Currently, 1.3% of the company's shares are sold short.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Univest Financial news, Director Anne Vazquez acquired 1,250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $28.63 per share, with a total value of $35,787.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,250 shares in the company, valued at approximately $178,937.50. This trade represents a 25.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Univest Financial

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its position in shares of Univest Financial by 161.2% during the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,003 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 619 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Univest Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $79,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Univest Financial by 14.8% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 4,796 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $142,000 after buying an additional 617 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC bought a new position in Univest Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $240,000. Finally, State of Tennessee Department of Treasury bought a new stake in shares of Univest Financial in the 4th quarter worth about $244,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.07% of the company's stock.

Univest Financial Trading Down 2.6 %

Shares of Univest Financial stock traded down $0.75 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $28.64. The stock had a trading volume of 21,698 shares, compared to its average volume of 106,463. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. Univest Financial has a 1 year low of $19.75 and a 1 year high of $32.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $830.62 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.06 and a beta of 0.72. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $28.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $29.41.

Univest Financial (NASDAQ:UVSP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. Univest Financial had a net margin of 15.17% and a return on equity of 8.51%. The company had revenue of $79.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $77.65 million. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Univest Financial will post 2.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Univest Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 21st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 7th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 7th. This is an increase from Univest Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.07%. Univest Financial's dividend payout ratio is 32.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Stephens reissued an "equal weight" rating and issued a $31.00 target price on shares of Univest Financial in a research 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.