Piper Sandler Increases Univest Financial (NASDAQ:UVSP) Price Target to $27.00

Univest Financial (NASDAQ:UVSP - Free Report) had its target price lifted by Piper Sandler from $24.00 to $27.00 in a research report report published on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the financial services provider's stock.

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and set a $29.00 price objective (up from $23.00) on shares of Univest Financial in a research note on Friday, July 26th.

Univest Financial Stock Performance

UVSP traded down $0.41 on Friday, hitting $27.87. 83,007 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 101,782. The company has a 50 day moving average of $27.66 and a 200-day moving average of $24.51. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $815.81 million, a PE ratio of 11.77 and a beta of 0.85. Univest Financial has a 12-month low of $16.10 and a 12-month high of $29.49.

Univest Financial (NASDAQ:UVSP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.63 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $126.59 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $74.11 million. Univest Financial had a return on equity of 8.23% and a net margin of 14.91%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.58 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Univest Financial will post 2.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Univest Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.01%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 6th. Univest Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.15%.

Insider Transactions at Univest Financial

In other news, CEO Jeffrey M. Schweitzer sold 1,200 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 90,187 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,570,329.50. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, COO Michael S. Keim sold 3,633 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.76, for a total value of $104,485.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 55,679 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,601,328.04. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jeffrey M. Schweitzer sold 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.50, for a total value of $34,200.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 90,187 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,570,329.50. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 14,389 shares of company stock valued at $412,352. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Univest Financial

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Univest Financial by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,571,213 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $32,713,000 after buying an additional 19,307 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its holdings in Univest Financial by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,210,351 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $27,632,000 after buying an additional 12,401 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in Univest Financial by 21.0% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 482,089 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $11,006,000 after buying an additional 83,599 shares during the last quarter. Leeward Investments LLC MA grew its holdings in Univest Financial by 5.6% during the 2nd quarter. Leeward Investments LLC MA now owns 404,942 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $9,245,000 after buying an additional 21,550 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in Univest Financial by 57.5% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 228,321 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $6,425,000 after buying an additional 83,312 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.07% of the company's stock.

Univest Financial Company 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.