Short Interest in United Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBCP) Expands By 35.3%

United Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBCP) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 6,900 shares, a growth of 35.3% from the October 31st total of 5,100 shares. Currently, 0.1% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 7,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.9 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UBCP. Vawter Financial Ltd. acquired a new stake in United Bancorp in the second quarter worth about $457,000. Koss Olinger Consulting LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Bancorp during the second quarter valued at approximately $293,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of United Bancorp by 8.4% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 33,376 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $419,000 after acquiring an additional 2,575 shares during the period. Commonwealth Financial Services LLC lifted its position in United Bancorp by 1.1% in the third quarter. Commonwealth Financial Services LLC now owns 90,209 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,183,000 after purchasing an additional 988 shares during the period. Finally, BBR Partners LLC bought a new position in United Bancorp during the 3rd quarter valued at $131,000. Institutional investors own 15.42% of the company’s stock.

United Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:UBCP traded up $0.29 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $13.69. The stock had a trading volume of 2,726 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,486. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $12.99 and its 200 day simple moving average is $12.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $79.25 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.92 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. United Bancorp has a 1-year low of $10.78 and a 1-year high of $15.50.

United Bancorp Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.26%. This is an increase from United Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. United Bancorp’s payout ratio is presently 52.17%.

About United Bancorp

United Bancorp, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Unified Bank that provides commercial and retail banking services in Ohio. The company provides range of banking and financial services, which includes accepting demand, savings, and time deposits. It also offers commercial, real estate and consumer loans.