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

Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in May. As of May 31st, there was short interest totalling 267,900 shares, a growth of 23.1% from the May 15th total of 217,700 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 89,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.0 days. Approximately 0.9% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $23.00 price target (up previously from $22.00) on shares of Univest Financial in a research note on Friday, April 26th.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Jeffrey M. Schweitzer sold 9,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.55, for a total value of $202,950.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 90,187 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,033,716.85. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Univest Financial

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in Univest Financial by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 64,598 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,123,000 after purchasing an additional 2,010 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its position in Univest Financial by 5.4% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,556,151 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $44,426,000 after buying an additional 130,584 shares in the last quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D increased its stake in Univest Financial by 44.8% during the third quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 158,221 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,750,000 after acquiring an additional 48,922 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Univest Financial by 37.6% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 300,547 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,224,000 after acquiring an additional 82,107 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swiss National Bank lifted its position in shares of Univest Financial by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 64,778 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,126,000 after acquiring an additional 1,700 shares during the period. 75.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Univest Financial Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of UVSP traded down $0.28 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $20.92. 87,173 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 73,561. The company has a market cap of $612.37 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.75 and a beta of 0.88. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $21.18 and a 200-day simple moving average of $20.72. Univest Financial has a 12-month low of $16.10 and a 12-month high of $23.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

Univest Financial (NASDAQ:UVSP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $77.06 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $71.40 million. Univest Financial had a net margin of 14.98% and a return on equity of 8.35%. Research analysts forecast that Univest Financial will post 2.11 EPS for the current year.

Univest Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 8th were issued a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 7th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.02%. Univest Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.15%.

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.