Short Interest in United Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBCP) Drops By 28.5%

United Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBCP - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 9,300 shares, a decrease of 28.5% from the February 28th total of 13,000 shares. Currently, 0.2% of the company's shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 7,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.3 days.

United Bancorp Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:UBCP traded down $0.08 during trading on Thursday, hitting $13.08. The company had a trading volume of 736 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,285. The stock has a market cap of $78.04 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.30 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $13.12 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $13.09. United Bancorp has a one year low of $11.40 and a one year high of $14.78.

United Bancorp (NASDAQ:UBCP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 7th. The financial services provider reported $0.31 EPS for the quarter. United Bancorp had a net margin of 16.83% and a return on equity of 11.73%.

United Bancorp Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 20th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $0.1825 per share. This represents a $0.73 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.58%. This is an increase from United Bancorp's previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. United Bancorp's dividend payout ratio is presently 57.48%.

Institutional Trading of United Bancorp

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wealthedge Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of United Bancorp during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $258,000. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in United Bancorp by 40.2% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 25,314 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $329,000 after acquiring an additional 7,264 shares during the last quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC increased its stake in United Bancorp by 11.0% in the fourth quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC now owns 36,642 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $476,000 after purchasing an additional 3,633 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of United Bancorp by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 40,956 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $528,000 after purchasing an additional 2,125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wesbanco Bank Inc. boosted its stake in shares of United Bancorp by 52.9% during the fourth quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 42,055 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $547,000 after purchasing an additional 14,550 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 15.42% of the company's stock.

About United Bancorp

United Bancorp, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Unified Bank that provides commercial and retail banking services in Ohio. The company provides range of banking and financial services, which includes accepting demand, savings, and time deposits. It also offers commercial, real estate and consumer loans.