United Bankshares (NASDAQ:UBSI) Sees Large Volume Increase - What's Next?

United Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBSI - Get Free Report) saw an uptick in trading volume on Wednesday . 1,392,976 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 120% from the previous session's volume of 631,983 shares.The stock last traded at $35.14 and had previously closed at $35.39.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on UBSI. StockNews.com lowered United Bankshares from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Stephens reiterated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $43.00 price objective on shares of United Bankshares in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on United Bankshares from $46.00 to $45.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 27th.

United Bankshares Stock Up 1.1 %

The company has a market capitalization of $4.89 billion, a PE ratio of 13.19 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $37.67 and a two-hundred day moving average of $38.39.

United Bankshares (NASDAQ:UBSI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.69 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.01. United Bankshares had a return on equity of 7.60% and a net margin of 22.94%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.59 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that United Bankshares, Inc. will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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United Bankshares Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.10%. United Bankshares's dividend payout ratio is currently 54.01%.

Insider Transactions at United Bankshares

In other news, Director Mark R. Nesselroad sold 6,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 18th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $1,387,203.84. This trade represents a 14.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 3.66% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of United Bankshares

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UBSI. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of United Bankshares in the fourth quarter valued at $54,712,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of United Bankshares in the fourth quarter valued at $14,948,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of United Bankshares by 39.7% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 830,774 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $31,196,000 after acquiring an additional 235,955 shares in the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. raised its stake in shares of United Bankshares by 16.7% in the third quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 1,558,081 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $57,805,000 after acquiring an additional 223,150 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of United Bankshares by 13.7% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,774,018 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $66,614,000 after acquiring an additional 213,441 shares in the last quarter. 70.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Bankshares Company Profile

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.