Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP) Short Interest Up 45.8% in February

Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP - Get Free Report) was the target of a large growth in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 233,800 shares, a growth of 45.8% from the February 13th total of 160,400 shares. Currently, 0.8% of the company's stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 102,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.3 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Stephens reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and issued a $31.00 price objective on shares of Univest Financial in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd.

Insider Activity at Univest Financial

In other Univest Financial news, Director Anne Vazquez acquired 1,250 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $28.63 per share, with a total value of $35,787.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,250 shares of the company's stock, valued at $178,937.50. The trade was a 25.00 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Univest Financial

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UVSP. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in Univest Financial by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 93,691 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,636,000 after purchasing an additional 4,690 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in Univest Financial in the 3rd quarter worth $417,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in Univest Financial by 16.2% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 47,700 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,342,000 after purchasing an additional 6,667 shares during the period. Martingale Asset Management L P raised its holdings in Univest Financial by 58.8% in the 3rd quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 71,530 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,013,000 after purchasing an additional 26,473 shares during the period. Finally, Centiva Capital LP bought a new position in Univest Financial in the 3rd quarter worth $209,000. 75.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Univest Financial Stock Performance

UVSP traded down $0.28 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $28.72. 70,621 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 95,449. The stock has a market capitalization of $832.94 million, a P/E ratio of 11.09 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The company's fifty day moving average price is $29.78 and its 200-day moving average price is $29.46. Univest Financial has a 52-week low of $18.41 and a 52-week high of $32.75.

Univest Financial (NASDAQ:UVSP - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Univest Financial will post 2.36 EPS for the current year.

Univest Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th were paid a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 5th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.92%. Univest Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.43%.

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.