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

UMB Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UMBF - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large 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 trading volume, of 617,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.7 days.

UMB Financial Trading Up 0.0 %

NASDAQ:UMBF traded up $0.03 on Monday, hitting $110.36. 225,972 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 788,538. The company's 50-day moving average price is $114.45 and its 200 day moving average price is $112.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.29 and a beta of 0.82. UMB Financial has a 52 week low of $76.00 and a 52 week high of $129.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a current ratio of 0.75.

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

UMB Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.45%. UMB Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.80%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Covestor Ltd lifted its position in shares of UMB Financial by 31.0% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 431 shares of the bank's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. USA Financial Formulas boosted its position in shares of UMB Financial by 124.7% in the fourth quarter. USA Financial Formulas now owns 483 shares of the bank's stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 268 shares during the period. Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of UMB Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at $83,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in UMB Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $96,000. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC acquired a new position in UMB Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $103,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.78% of the company's stock.

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.