United Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBCP) Short Interest Up 23.8% in December

United Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBCP) was the target of a large growth in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 7,800 shares, a growth of 23.8% from the December 15th total of 6,300 shares. Currently, 0.2% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 7,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.0 days.

United Bancorp Stock Up 1.7 %

NASDAQ UBCP traded up $0.22 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $12.87. The company had a trading volume of 843 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,644. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $13.22 and its 200 day moving average is $12.75. The company has a market capitalization of $74.52 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.33 and a beta of 0.40. United Bancorp has a fifty-two week low of $11.40 and a fifty-two week high of $15.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79.

United Bancorp Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 10th were issued a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.59%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 10th. This is a boost from United Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. United Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is currently 52.17%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Bancorp

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of United Bancorp by 8.4% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 33,376 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $419,000 after buying an additional 2,575 shares during the last quarter. BBR Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Bancorp during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $131,000. Tallon Kerry Patrick bought a new stake in shares of United Bancorp in the 4th quarter worth approximately $584,000. Finally, Commonwealth Financial Services LLC boosted its position in United Bancorp by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth Financial Services LLC now owns 90,209 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,183,000 after purchasing an additional 988 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 15.42% of the company’s stock.

United Bancorp Company Profile

United Bancorp, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Unified Bank that provides commercial and retail banking services in Ohio. The company provides range of banking and financial services, which includes accepting demand, savings, and time deposits. It also offers commercial, real estate and consumer loans.