Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP) Short Interest Up 43.5% in November

Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 221,900 shares, a growth of 43.5% from the October 31st total of 154,600 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 102,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.2 days. Currently, 0.8% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Univest Financial Stock Down 0.7 %

UVSP stock traded down $0.22 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $31.76. The stock had a trading volume of 102,626 shares, compared to its average volume of 104,099. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The firm has a market cap of $922.31 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.84 and a beta of 0.85. The business has a 50-day moving average of $28.94 and a two-hundred day moving average of $26.21. Univest Financial has a 52-week low of $18.41 and a 52-week high of $32.75.

Univest Financial (NASDAQ:UVSP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.07. Univest Financial had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 8.24%. The company had revenue of $126.59 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $74.11 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.58 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Univest Financial will post 2.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Univest Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 6th were given a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 6th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.64%. Univest Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.73%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Univest Financial

In related news, COO Michael S. Keim sold 3,633 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.76, for a total transaction of $104,485.08. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 55,679 shares in the company, valued at $1,601,328.04. The trade was a 6.13 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Jeffrey M. Schweitzer sold 4,541 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.75, for a total value of $130,553.75. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 90,187 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,592,876.25. This trade represents a 4.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 10,374 shares of company stock worth $297,699. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Univest Financial

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in Univest Financial in the third quarter worth $25,000. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in Univest Financial in the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in Univest Financial by 2,713.5% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,463 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 1,411 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Univest Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at about $79,000. Finally, CWM LLC increased its stake in Univest Financial by 212.7% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,731 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $85,000 after purchasing an additional 2,538 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Piper Sandler boosted their price target 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.

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.