DA Davidson Issues Pessimistic Estimate for UCB Earnings

United Community Banks, Inc. (NASDAQ:UCB) – Equities research analysts at DA Davidson decreased their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for United Community Banks in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, April 2nd. DA Davidson analyst G. Tenner now anticipates that the company will post earnings per share of $2.74 for the year, down from their previous forecast of $2.79. The consensus estimate for United Community Banks’ current full-year earnings is $2.52 per share.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on UCB. Raymond James upgraded shares of United Community Banks from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $35.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of United Community Banks from $32.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Hovde Group cut their price target on United Community Banks from $36.00 to $32.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 20th.

United Community Banks Price Performance

Shares of UCB opened at $27.94 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $3.34 billion, a PE ratio of 13.70 and a beta of 0.90. United Community Banks has a 52-week low of $26.00 and a 52-week high of $35.38. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $31.08 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $31.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.78.

United Community Banks Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. United Community Banks’s payout ratio is presently 47.06%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Sally Pope Davis purchased 1,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $28.19 per share, for a total transaction of $50,742.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 3,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $92,012.16. This represents a 122.95 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO H Lynn Harton sold 31,679 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.84, for a total value of $1,072,017.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 112,444 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,805,104.96. The trade was a 21.98 % 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 company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UCB. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of United Community Banks during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in United Community Banks during the fourth quarter worth $42,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC purchased a new position in United Community Banks in the fourth quarter worth $45,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB bought a new position in United Community Banks in the 1st quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC bought a new position in United Community Banks in the 4th quarter valued at $59,000. 82.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About United Community Banks

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.