119,683 Shares in United Community Banks, Inc. (NASDAQ:UCB) Acquired by Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC bought a new position in United Community Banks, Inc. (NASDAQ:UCB) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 119,683 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,867,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of United Community Banks during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Community Banks during the fourth quarter valued at about $80,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new position in shares of United Community Banks during the 4th quarter worth about $174,000. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC bought a new stake in United Community Banks in the 4th quarter valued at about $232,000. Finally, Patten & Patten Inc. TN acquired a new position in United Community Banks during the 4th quarter worth approximately $255,000. 82.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Sally Pope Davis purchased 1,800 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $28.19 per share, with a total value of $50,742.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 3,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $92,012.16. This trade represents a 122.95 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard Bradshaw sold 1,527 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.72, for a total value of $49,963.44. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 67,876 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,220,902.72. This trade represents a 2.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.54% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

United Community Banks Stock Down 1.4 %

UCB stock opened at $27.73 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $31.18 and its 200-day moving average is $31.07. United Community Banks, Inc. has a twelve month low of $26.00 and a twelve month high of $35.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.31 billion, a PE ratio of 13.59 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

United Community Banks Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. United Community Banks’s dividend payout ratio is 47.06%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on UCB shares. Hovde Group decreased their price objective on United Community Banks from $36.00 to $32.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Raymond James upgraded shares of United Community Banks from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $35.00 price target for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of United Community Banks from $32.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd.

United Community Banks Company Profile

United Community Banks, Inc operates as the financial holding company for United Community Bank that provides financial products and services to commercial, retail, government, education, energy, health care, and real estate sectors. It accepts various deposit products, including checking, savings, money market, and other deposit accounts.