StockNews.com Begins Coverage on Univest Financial (NASDAQ:UVSP)

StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Univest Financial (NASDAQ:UVSP – Get Rating) in a research note published on Thursday. The firm issued a hold rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Univest Financial Trading Down 4.7 %

Shares of UVSP stock opened at $24.70 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $27.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $26.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $723.46 million, a P/E ratio of 9.32 and a beta of 0.91. Univest Financial has a fifty-two week low of $23.16 and a fifty-two week high of $29.06.

Univest Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 22nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 8th were paid a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 7th. Univest Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Univest Financial news, Director Todd S. Benning sold 27,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.00, for a total value of $770,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 11,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $333,452. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 2.22% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Univest Financial

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of UVSP. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its stake in shares of Univest Financial by 38.3% in the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 1,525 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 422 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of Univest Financial during the 3rd quarter worth about $42,000. Dupont Capital Management Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Univest Financial during the 3rd quarter worth about $104,000. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. increased its position in shares of Univest Financial by 333.3% during the 1st quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 3,900 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $104,000 after purchasing an additional 3,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG increased its position in shares of Univest Financial by 22.0% during the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 5,996 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $141,000 after purchasing an additional 1,081 shares during the last quarter. 72.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Univest Financial Company Profile

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Univest Financial Corp. is a holding company, which engages in the provision of financial solutions for individuals, businesses, municipalities, and non-profit organizations. It operates through the following segments: Banking, Wealth Management, and Insurance. The Banking segment includes banking services such as deposit taking, loan origination and servicing, mortgage banking, and equipment lease financing.