Union Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:UNB) Short Interest Up 46.0% in May

Union Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:UNB) saw a significant growth in short interest in May. As of May 31st, there was short interest totalling 7,300 shares, a growth of 46.0% from the May 15th total of 5,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 4,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.5 days. Currently, 0.2% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Union Bankshares in a research report on Friday, May 31st. They set a “hold” rating on the stock.

Institutional Trading of Union Bankshares

A hedge fund recently bought a new stake in Union Bankshares stock. Community Financial Services Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Union Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:UNB) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 8,480 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $259,000. Community Financial Services Group LLC owned approximately 0.19% of Union Bankshares at the end of the most recent quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 14.84% of the company’s stock.

Union Bankshares Stock Performance

NASDAQ:UNB traded down $1.32 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $21.68. The stock had a trading volume of 10,985 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,218. Union Bankshares has a twelve month low of $20.07 and a twelve month high of $32.00. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $25.35 and a 200 day simple moving average of $28.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $97.99 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.15 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.80.

Union Bankshares (NASDAQ:UNB) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 14th. The bank reported $0.53 earnings per share for the quarter. Union Bankshares had a return on equity of 17.85% and a net margin of 15.19%. The firm had revenue of $11.58 million for the quarter.

Union Bankshares Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 2nd. Stockholders of record on Saturday, April 27th were given a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 25th. Union Bankshares’s dividend payout ratio is currently 60.76%.

About Union Bankshares

Union Bankshares, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Union Bank that provides retail, commercial, and municipal banking products and services in northern Vermont and New Hampshire. It offers retail depository services, such as personal checking, savings, money market, IRA/SEP/KEOGH, and health savings accounts, as well as certificates of deposit.