Short Interest in UMB Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UMBF) Drops By 44.5%

UMB Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UMBF - Get Free Report) saw a significant decline in short interest in February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,280,000 shares, a decline of 44.5% from the January 31st total of 4,110,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 617,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.7 days.

UMB Financial Trading Down 1.7 %

Shares of UMBF traded down $1.73 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $102.76. 605,028 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 799,324. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. UMB Financial has a 12 month low of $76.00 and a 12 month high of $129.94. The company's fifty day moving average price is $113.88 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $112.40. The company has a market capitalization of $5.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.43 and a beta of 0.82.

UMB Financial (NASDAQ:UMBF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The bank reported $2.49 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.25 by $0.24. UMB Financial had a return on equity of 13.73% and a net margin of 15.76%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.29 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that UMB Financial will post 9.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UMB Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. UMB Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.80%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Barclays upped their price target on shares of UMB Financial from $123.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on UMB Financial from $142.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $128.00 price objective on shares of UMB Financial in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of UMB Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $127.00 price target (down previously from $130.00) on shares of UMB Financial in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, UMB Financial has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $130.14.

Insider Transactions at UMB Financial

In other news, Director Kevin Charles Gallagher sold 527 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.13, for a total transaction of $60,146.51. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 13,010 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,484,831.30. This represents a 3.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO J Mariner Kemper sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.61, for a total transaction of $380,135.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 334,347 shares in the company, valued at $36,313,427.67. The trade was a 1.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 8.85% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UMB Financial

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in UMB Financial by 403.7% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 866,848 shares of the bank's stock valued at $91,114,000 after purchasing an additional 694,751 shares in the last quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI bought a new stake in shares of UMB Financial during the third quarter valued at approximately $48,531,000. Freestone Grove Partners LP purchased a new position in UMB Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $48,235,000. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its holdings in UMB Financial by 258.0% in the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 392,397 shares of the bank's stock worth $41,245,000 after acquiring an additional 282,783 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Systematic Financial Management LP lifted its position in UMB Financial by 438.8% in the 3rd quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 320,550 shares of the bank's stock valued at $33,693,000 after acquiring an additional 261,055 shares in the last quarter. 87.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

UMB Financial Company Profile

UMB Financial Corporation operates as the bank holding company that provides banking services and asset servicing in the United States and internationally. The Commercial Banking segment provides commercial loans and credit card; commercial real estate financing; letters of credit; loan syndication, and consultative service; various business solutions including asset-based lending, mezzanine debt, and minority equity investment; and treasury management service, such as depository service, account reconciliation, cash management tool, accounts payable and receivable solution, electronic fund transfer and automated payment, controlled disbursement, lockbox service, and remote deposit capture service.