Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSPGet Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest in September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totalling 365,100 shares, a growth of 47.6% from the September 15th total of 247,300 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 107,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.4 days. Approximately 1.3% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Univest Financial Stock Performance

UVSP traded up $0.14 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $28.05. 14,537 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 102,143. The stock has a market cap of $818.22 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.44 and a beta of 0.85. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $27.24 and a 200-day simple moving average of $24.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.01. Univest Financial has a 12 month low of $16.10 and a 12 month high of $29.49.

Univest Financial (NASDAQ:UVSPGet Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.51 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $120.81 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $72.50 million. Univest Financial had a net margin of 14.91% and a return on equity of 8.23%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.61 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Univest Financial will post 2.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Univest Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 7th were given a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 7th. Univest Financial’s payout ratio is 34.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on UVSP shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $29.00 price objective (up from $23.00) on shares of Univest Financial in a report on Friday, July 26th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Univest Financial from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Univest Financial

Insider Transactions at Univest Financial

In related news, CEO Jeffrey M. Schweitzer sold 4,541 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.75, for a total transaction of $130,553.75. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 90,187 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,592,876.25. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Univest Financial news, CEO Jeffrey M. Schweitzer sold 1,200 shares of Univest Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.50, for a total transaction of $34,200.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 90,187 shares in the company, valued at $2,570,329.50. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jeffrey M. Schweitzer sold 4,541 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.75, for a total value of $130,553.75. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 90,187 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,592,876.25. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 14,389 shares of company stock valued at $412,352 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Univest Financial in the second quarter worth $28,000. CWM LLC boosted its position in shares of Univest Financial by 212.7% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,731 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $85,000 after buying an additional 2,538 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings in Univest Financial by 95.7% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 4,281 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $94,000 after buying an additional 2,094 shares in the last quarter. Comerica Bank increased its position in Univest Financial by 11,533.8% in the 1st quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 8,609 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $179,000 after acquiring an additional 8,535 shares during the period. Finally, Ariadne Wealth Management LP bought a new stake in Univest Financial during the 2nd quarter valued at $231,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.07% of the company’s stock.

About Univest Financial

(Get Free Report)

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.

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