Vanguard Group Inc. Lowers Position in Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP)

Vanguard Group Inc. lowered its position in shares of Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP - Free Report) by 1.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,625,773 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 30,329 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 5.60% of Univest Financial worth $47,977,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Univest Financial in the third quarter worth $79,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Univest Financial by 14.8% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC increased its position in shares of Univest Financial by 93.1% during the fourth quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 14,571 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $430,000 after acquiring an additional 7,024 shares in the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in shares of Univest Financial in the 4th quarter worth about $511,000. Finally, Bailard Inc. boosted its stake in Univest Financial by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 21,132 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $624,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.07% of the company's stock.

Univest Financial Stock Up 0.9 %

Univest Financial stock traded up $0.25 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $27.13. 24,126 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 105,370. Univest Financial Co. has a 52-week low of $18.42 and a 52-week high of $32.75. 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 business's 50-day moving average price is $28.69 and its 200-day moving average price is $29.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $786.82 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.47 and a beta of 0.72.

Univest Financial (NASDAQ:UVSP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.57 by $0.08. Univest Financial had a return on equity of 8.51% and a net margin of 15.17%. On average, research analysts expect that Univest Financial Co. will post 2.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Univest Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th were issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 5th. Univest Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.43%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Anne Vazquez purchased 1,250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $28.63 per share, with a total value of $35,787.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 6,250 shares in the company, valued at $178,937.50. This represents a 25.00 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Univest Financial 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.