Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP) Sees Large Decline in Short Interest

Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest during the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 179,100 shares, a drop of 40.4% from the January 15th total of 300,700 shares. Approximately 0.6% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 103,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.7 days.

Institutional Trading of Univest Financial

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in Univest Financial during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in Univest Financial by 161.2% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,003 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 619 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Univest Financial by 2,713.5% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,463 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 1,411 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Univest Financial in the third quarter valued at approximately $79,000. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Univest Financial by 14.8% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 4,796 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $142,000 after buying an additional 617 shares during the last quarter. 75.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Univest Financial Stock Performance

NASDAQ:UVSP traded up $0.18 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $31.41. The company had a trading volume of 165,429 shares, compared to its average volume of 90,599. The firm has a market cap of $912.15 million, a PE ratio of 12.13 and a beta of 0.89. Univest Financial has a 1-year low of $18.41 and a 1-year high of $32.75. The business's 50 day moving average price is $30.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $29.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02.

Univest Financial (NASDAQ:UVSP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.57 by $0.08. Univest Financial had a net margin of 15.17% and a return on equity of 8.51%. Research analysts forecast that Univest Financial will post 2.36 EPS for the current year.

Univest Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 5th will be issued a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.67%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 5th. Univest Financial's payout ratio is presently 32.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on UVSP. Stephens reissued an "equal weight" rating and set a $31.00 price objective on shares of Univest Financial in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of Univest Financial from $24.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, October 25th.

Univest Financial Company Profile

Univest Financial Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Univest Bank and Trust Co that provides banking products and services primarily in the United States. It operates through three segments: Banking, Wealth Management, and Insurance. The Banking segment offers a range of banking services, such as deposit taking, loan origination and servicing, mortgage banking, other general banking, and equipment lease financing services for individuals, businesses, municipalities, and nonprofit organizations.