Union Bankshares (NASDAQ:UNB) Rating Lowered to "Sell" at StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Union Bankshares (NASDAQ:UNB - Free Report) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report report published on Friday morning.

Union Bankshares Trading Up 0.9 %

Union Bankshares stock traded up $0.30 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $34.70. 7,689 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,235. The stock has a market capitalization of $156.84 million, a PE ratio of 17.89 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $31.10 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $28.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. 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 announced 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 Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 6th. Shareholders of record on Saturday, January 25th were issued a $0.36 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.15%. Union Bankshares's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 74.23%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Union Bankshares

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of UNB. Alpine Global Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Union Bankshares during the fourth quarter worth $269,000. Bank of America Corp DE boosted 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 purchasing an additional 819 shares during the period. 683 Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Union Bankshares during the 4th quarter worth about $304,000. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake 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 valued at $893,000 after purchasing an additional 4,436 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Union Bankshares by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 35,276 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,020,000 after purchasing an additional 1,474 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 14.84% of the company's stock.

About Union Bankshares

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.