Vanguard Group Inc. Purchases 115,681 Shares of United Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBSI)

Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of United Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBSI - Free Report) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,310,562 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 115,681 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 10.58% of United Bankshares worth $537,362,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC grew its position in shares of United Bankshares by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC now owns 12,537 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $471,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of United Bankshares by 10.1% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 3,115 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $117,000 after buying an additional 285 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System increased its position in shares of United Bankshares by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 39,225 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,473,000 after acquiring an additional 296 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings in shares of United Bankshares by 55.8% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 866 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 310 shares during the period. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position in United Bankshares by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 19,542 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $730,000 after acquiring an additional 332 shares in the last quarter. 70.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UBSI has been the topic of several recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on United Bankshares from $46.00 to $45.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $38.50 price target on shares of United Bankshares in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. StockNews.com lowered shares of United Bankshares from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $43.00 price target on shares of United Bankshares in a research note on Monday, January 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Bankshares presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $41.88.

Insider Transactions at United Bankshares

In other United Bankshares news, Director Sara Dumond bought 2,600 shares of United Bankshares stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 24th. The stock was bought at an average price of $35.01 per share, with a total value of $91,026.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 5,054 shares in the company, valued at $176,940.54. The trade was a 105.95 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 3.66% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

United Bankshares Stock Performance

UBSI stock traded down $0.69 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $31.65. The stock had a trading volume of 1,570,022 shares, compared to its average volume of 575,991. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $36.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $37.89. United Bankshares, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $30.51 and a fifty-two week high of $44.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.53 billion, a PE ratio of 11.55 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98.

United Bankshares (NASDAQ:UBSI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 in the prior year, the firm earned $0.59 EPS. Analysts predict that United Bankshares, Inc. will post 2.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Bankshares Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.68%. United Bankshares's dividend payout ratio is currently 54.01%.

About United Bankshares

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.