United Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBSI) Short Interest Up 19.0% in December

United Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBSI - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,820,000 shares, a growth of 19.0% from the November 30th total of 2,370,000 shares. Approximately 2.1% of the company's shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 520,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.4 days.

United Bankshares Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of UBSI stock traded down $0.58 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $37.87. 380,682 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 526,105. United Bankshares has a 52 week low of $30.68 and a 52 week high of $44.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The business has a 50 day moving average of $40.21 and a two-hundred day moving average of $37.36. The company has a market capitalization of $5.12 billion, a PE ratio of 14.34 and a beta of 1.01.

United Bankshares (NASDAQ:UBSI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $414.67 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $260.30 million. United Bankshares had a return on equity of 7.58% and a net margin of 22.05%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.71 EPS. Analysts anticipate that United Bankshares will post 2.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Bankshares Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th will be given a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. United Bankshares's dividend payout ratio is presently 56.06%.

Insider Activity at United Bankshares

In other news, Director J Paul Mcnamara sold 2,500 shares of United Bankshares stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.86, for a total transaction of $107,150.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 63,409 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,717,709.74. This trade represents a 3.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Mark R. Nesselroad sold 6,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.16, for a total transaction of $234,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 35,424 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,387,203.84. This trade represents a 14.48 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 13,500 shares of company stock worth $542,110. 3.66% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Bankshares

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in United Bankshares by 9.8% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 594,819 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $22,068,000 after purchasing an additional 52,949 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Bankshares by 8.9% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 10,970 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $407,000 after buying an additional 893 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Bankshares by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,306,542 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $122,695,000 after buying an additional 53,994 shares during the period. Barclays PLC grew its stake in United Bankshares by 89.5% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 269,852 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $10,012,000 after buying an additional 127,486 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zacks Investment Management acquired a new stake in shares of United Bankshares in the third quarter valued at approximately $409,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.80% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com raised United Bankshares from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $40.25.

About United Bankshares

United Bankshares, Inc, through its subsidiaries, primarily provides commercial and retail banking products and services in the United States. It operates through two segments, Community Banking and Mortgage Banking. The company accepts checking, savings, and time and money market accounts; individual retirement accounts; and demand deposits, statement and special savings, and NOW accounts.