United Bankshares (NASDAQ:UBSI) Stock Price Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Here's Why

United Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBSI - Get Free Report) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $37.65 and traded as high as $38.15. United Bankshares shares last traded at $37.30, with a volume of 552,545 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of United Bankshares from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th.

United Bankshares Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $4.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.94 and a beta of 1.03. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $40.22 and a 200 day simple moving average of $37.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.96.

United Bankshares (NASDAQ:UBSI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $414.67 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 last year, the firm posted $0.71 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that United Bankshares, Inc. will post 2.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Bankshares Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th were given a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.02%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 13th. United Bankshares's payout ratio is 56.06%.

Insider Activity at United Bankshares

In other news, Director Mark R. Nesselroad sold 6,000 shares of United Bankshares 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 transaction, the director now owns 35,424 shares in the company, valued at $1,387,203.84. The trade was a 14.48 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director J Paul Mcnamara sold 2,500 shares of United Bankshares stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 26th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $2,717,709.74. This trade represents a 3.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 13,500 shares of company stock valued at $542,110. 3.66% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Bankshares

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