Union Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:UNB) Short Interest Up 183.3% in January

Union Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:UNB - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 35,700 shares, a growth of 183.3% from the December 31st total of 12,600 shares. Approximately 1.0% of the company's stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 8,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.2 days.

Institutional Trading of Union Bankshares

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Cardinal Capital Management raised its position in Union Bankshares by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 76,087 shares of the bank's stock worth $2,200,000 after acquiring an additional 1,674 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Union Bankshares by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 40,503 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,050,000 after purchasing an additional 1,188 shares during the last quarter. Community Financial Services Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Bankshares in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $220,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its stake in Union Bankshares by 7.7% in the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 14,032 shares of the bank's stock valued at $301,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Union Bankshares by 10.4% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 30,924 shares of the bank's stock worth $664,000 after buying an additional 2,914 shares during the last quarter. 14.84% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Union Bankshares Stock Up 2.2 %

UNB traded up $0.69 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $31.90. 5,378 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,433. Union Bankshares has a 1 year low of $21.00 and a 1 year high of $37.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $144.35 million, a PE ratio of 16.44 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $31.61 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $28.35.

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

Union Bankshares Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 6th. Stockholders of record on Saturday, January 25th will be issued a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. Union Bankshares's dividend payout ratio is presently 74.23%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Union Bankshares from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st.

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.