Short Interest in Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP) Rises By 43.5%

Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 221,900 shares, a growth of 43.5% from the October 31st total of 154,600 shares. Currently, 0.8% of the company's stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 102,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.2 days.

Univest Financial Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ UVSP traded down $0.21 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $31.76. 102,626 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 104,099. The company's fifty day moving average is $29.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $26.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02. Univest Financial has a fifty-two week low of $18.41 and a fifty-two week high of $32.75. The stock has a market cap of $922.41 million, a PE ratio of 12.76 and a beta of 0.85.

Univest Financial (NASDAQ:UVSP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.63 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.07. Univest Financial had a return on equity of 8.24% and a net margin of 14.90%. The company had revenue of $126.59 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $74.11 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.58 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Univest Financial will post 2.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Univest Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 6th were issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.64%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 6th. Univest Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.73%.

Insider Transactions at Univest Financial

In related news, CEO Jeffrey M. Schweitzer sold 4,541 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.75, for a total value of $130,553.75. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 90,187 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,592,876.25. The trade was a 4.79 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Michael S. Keim sold 3,633 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.76, for a total transaction of $104,485.08. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 55,679 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,601,328.04. The trade was a 6.13 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 10,374 shares of company stock valued at $297,699. 2.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Univest Financial

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Leeward Investments LLC MA grew its holdings in Univest Financial by 5.6% in the 2nd quarter. Leeward Investments LLC MA now owns 404,942 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $9,245,000 after buying an additional 21,550 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 1,411 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning increased its position in Univest Financial by 21.9% during the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 40,220 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $918,000 after acquiring an additional 7,232 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Univest Financial by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,571,213 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $32,713,000 after purchasing an additional 19,307 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC boosted its holdings in Univest Financial by 212.7% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,731 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $85,000 after purchasing an additional 2,538 shares during the period. 75.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of Univest Financial from $24.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, October 25th.

About Univest Financial

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.