Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP) Stock Position Boosted by Teacher Retirement System of Texas

Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its stake in shares of Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP) by 22.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 56,148 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 10,131 shares during the quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in Univest Financial were worth $1,657,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of Univest Financial during the third quarter valued at approximately $79,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Univest Financial by 14.8% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 4,796 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $142,000 after purchasing an additional 617 shares during the period. Centiva Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of Univest Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at $209,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Univest Financial in the third quarter valued at $417,000. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Univest Financial by 93.1% in the fourth quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 14,571 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $430,000 after buying an additional 7,024 shares during the period. 75.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Univest Financial Trading Down 0.5 %

Univest Financial stock opened at $29.26 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $848.60 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.30 and a beta of 0.89. Univest Financial Co. has a 1 year low of $18.41 and a 1 year high of $32.75. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $29.82 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $29.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02.

Univest Financial (NASDAQ:UVSP) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.65 earnings per share (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 predict that Univest Financial Co. will post 2.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Univest Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th were paid a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.87%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 5th. Univest Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.43%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Anne Vazquez purchased 1,250 shares of Univest Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $28.63 per share, for a total transaction of $35,787.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,250 shares in the company, valued at $178,937.50. The trade was a 25.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $31.00 price target on shares of Univest Financial in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd.

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.