KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Invests $511,000 in Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new position in Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 17,300 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $511,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS owned about 0.06% of Univest Financial as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Univest Financial in the third quarter worth about $79,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its holdings 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 worth $142,000 after purchasing an additional 617 shares during the period. Centiva Capital LP bought a new position in shares of Univest Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $209,000. AlphaQuest LLC raised its holdings in Univest Financial by 93.1% during the 4th quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 14,571 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $430,000 after buying an additional 7,024 shares during the period. Finally, Bailard Inc. lifted its position in Univest Financial by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 21,132 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $624,000 after buying an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. 75.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Univest Financial Trading Up 0.5 %

NASDAQ UVSP traded up $0.12 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $25.99. The stock had a trading volume of 122,050 shares, compared to its average volume of 103,920. Univest Financial Co. has a one year low of $18.41 and a one year high of $32.75. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $29.30 and a 200 day simple moving average of $29.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $753.76 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.03 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02.

Univest Financial (NASDAQ:UVSP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.57 by $0.08. Univest Financial had a return on equity of 8.51% and a net margin of 15.17%. Sell-side analysts predict that Univest Financial Co. will post 2.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Univest Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th were issued a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 5th. Univest Financial's payout ratio is presently 32.43%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Anne Vazquez bought 1,250 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $28.63 per share, for a total transaction of $35,787.50. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 6,250 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $178,937.50. The trade was a 25.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.