Short Interest in Union Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:UNB) Rises By 23.6%

Union Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:UNB - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 32,500 shares, a growth of 23.6% from the February 13th total of 26,300 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 8,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.0 days. Currently, 0.9% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Union Bankshares from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday.

Union Bankshares Stock Performance

Shares of UNB stock traded up $0.09 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $31.49. 18,960 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,906. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $142.49 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.23 and a beta of 0.80. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $30.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $29.66. Union Bankshares has a 52-week low of $21.00 and a 52-week high of $37.70.

Union Bankshares (NASDAQ:UNB - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 15th. The bank reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Union Bankshares had a return on equity of 13.09% and a net margin of 11.74%.

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Union Bankshares Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 6th. Investors of record on Saturday, January 25th were paid a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. Union Bankshares's payout ratio is currently 74.23%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of UNB. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Union Bankshares by 3.0% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 40,503 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,050,000 after acquiring an additional 1,188 shares during the period. Cardinal Capital Management raised its stake in Union Bankshares by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 76,087 shares of the bank's stock valued at $2,200,000 after purchasing an additional 1,674 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in Union Bankshares by 24.0% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 4,225 shares of the bank's stock worth $122,000 after buying an additional 819 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in shares of Union Bankshares by 16.8% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 30,880 shares of the bank's stock worth $893,000 after buying an additional 4,436 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alpine Global Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Union Bankshares during the 4th quarter valued at $269,000. 14.84% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Union Bankshares Company Profile

Union Bankshares, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Union Bank that provides retail, commercial, and municipal banking products and services in northern Vermont and New Hampshire. It offers retail depository services, such as personal checking, savings, money market, IRA/SEP/KEOGH, and health savings accounts, as well as certificates of deposit.