Sandy Spring Bank Sells 1,650 Shares of United Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBSI)

Sandy Spring Bank trimmed its stake in United Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBSI) by 6.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 23,858 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,650 shares during the period. Sandy Spring Bank’s holdings in United Bankshares were worth $896,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in United Bankshares in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its stake in United Bankshares by 55.8% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 866 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 310 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its stake in United Bankshares by 1,921.1% in the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 1,435 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 1,364 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its stake in United Bankshares by 10.1% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 3,115 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $117,000 after purchasing an additional 285 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in United Bankshares in the fourth quarter worth $117,000. 70.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

United Bankshares Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of UBSI opened at $34.38 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. United Bankshares, Inc. has a 12-month low of $30.68 and a 12-month high of $44.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.92 billion, a PE ratio of 12.55 and a beta of 0.98. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $36.88 and its 200-day simple moving average is $38.09.

United Bankshares (NASDAQ:UBSI) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 period last year, the business earned $0.59 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that United Bankshares, Inc. will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current year.

United Bankshares Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.30%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. United Bankshares’s payout ratio is 54.01%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UBSI has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $43.00 price objective on shares of United Bankshares in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective 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. Finally, StockNews.com lowered United Bankshares from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $41.88.

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.