Teacher Retirement System of Texas Purchases 10,131 Shares of Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its holdings in shares of Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP - Free Report) by 22.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 56,148 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 10,131 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas owned 0.19% of Univest Financial worth $1,657,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in UVSP. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Univest Financial in the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,299,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Univest Financial by 64.4% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 103,531 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,913,000 after buying an additional 40,545 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of Univest Financial by 91.3% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 66,603 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,875,000 after buying an additional 31,783 shares in the last quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P grew its holdings in shares of Univest Financial by 58.8% during the third quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 71,530 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,013,000 after buying an additional 26,473 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Univest Financial by 3.5% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 704,445 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $19,826,000 after buying an additional 23,770 shares during the last quarter. 75.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Univest Financial Stock Performance

UVSP traded down $0.29 during trading on Monday, hitting $28.36. 194,195 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 102,146. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The firm has a market cap of $822.50 million, a P/E ratio of 10.95 and a beta of 0.89. Univest Financial Co. has a one year low of $18.41 and a one year high of $32.75. The stock's fifty day moving average is $29.78 and its 200 day moving average is $29.53.

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

Univest Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th were paid a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 5th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.96%. Univest Financial's payout ratio is 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 purchased at an average price of $28.63 per share, for a total transaction of $35,787.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,250 shares in the company, valued at approximately $178,937.50. The trade was a 25.00 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

About Univest Financial

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.