Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP) Short Interest Down 40.4% in January

Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP) saw a significant decline in short interest during the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 179,100 shares, a decline of 40.4% from the January 15th total of 300,700 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 103,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.7 days. Approximately 0.6% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on UVSP shares. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Univest Financial from $24.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $31.00 price target on shares of Univest Financial in a report on Thursday, January 23rd.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Univest Financial

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UVSP. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in Univest Financial by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 339,290 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $10,012,000 after purchasing an additional 9,184 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its position in Univest Financial by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,204,530 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $35,546,000 after buying an additional 75,964 shares in the last quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL increased its position in Univest Financial by 68.8% during the 4th quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 39,593 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,168,000 after buying an additional 16,138 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Univest Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $334,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in shares of Univest Financial by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 32,910 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $972,000 after acquiring an additional 1,746 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.07% of the company’s stock.

Univest Financial Stock Up 0.6 %

NASDAQ UVSP traded up $0.18 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $31.41. 165,429 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 90,599. Univest Financial has a 52 week low of $18.41 and a 52 week high of $32.75. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $30.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $29.02. The company has a market cap of $912.15 million, a PE ratio of 12.13 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02.

Univest Financial (NASDAQ:UVSP) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 8.51% and a net margin of 15.17%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Univest Financial will post 2.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Univest Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 5th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.67%. Univest Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.43%.

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.