Zacks Investment Management Acquires New Position in Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP)

Zacks Investment Management bought a new position in Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 9,793 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $289,000.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Bailard Inc. increased its holdings in Univest Financial by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 21,132 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $624,000 after buying an additional 332 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its holdings in Univest Financial by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 24,724 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $730,000 after acquiring an additional 488 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in shares of Univest Financial by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 28,530 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $842,000 after purchasing an additional 528 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Univest Financial by 14.8% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 4,796 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $142,000 after buying an additional 617 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Univest Financial by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 28,200 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $832,000 after buying an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.07% of the company's stock.

Univest Financial Trading Down 2.3 %

Shares of Univest Financial stock traded down $0.68 during trading on Friday, reaching $28.71. 41,391 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 106,513. The firm has a market cap of $832.65 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.11 and a beta of 0.72. The stock's fifty day moving average is $28.31 and its 200 day moving average is $29.41. Univest Financial Co. has a 1 year low of $19.75 and a 1 year high of $32.75. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

Univest Financial (NASDAQ:UVSP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.77 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.13. Univest Financial had a return on equity of 8.51% and a net margin of 15.17%. The firm had revenue of $79.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $77.65 million. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Univest Financial Co. will post 2.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Univest Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 21st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 7th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 7th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.07%. This is a boost from Univest Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Univest Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Univest Financial news, Director Anne Vazquez bought 1,250 shares of Univest Financial stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $28.63 per share, for a total transaction of $35,787.50. Following the completion of the purchase, 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 position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 1.70% of the company's stock.

Univest Financial 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.