United Security Bancshares (NASDAQ:UBFO) Short Interest Up 65.0% in July

United Security Bancshares (NASDAQ:UBFO) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 25,900 shares, an increase of 65.0% from the June 30th total of 15,700 shares. Approximately 0.2% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 26,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.0 days.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jagroop Gill purchased 140,384 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 24th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $7.96 per share, for a total transaction of $1,117,456.64. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,220,051 shares in the company, valued at $9,711,605.96. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders purchased a total of 167,778 shares of company stock worth $1,315,250 in the last 90 days. 20.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Security Bancshares

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Private Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of United Security Bancshares by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Private Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 81,811 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $591,000 after acquiring an additional 1,299 shares in the last quarter. Salzhauer Michael raised its position in shares of United Security Bancshares by 6.7% during the 1st quarter. Salzhauer Michael now owns 27,071 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $209,000 after acquiring an additional 1,700 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in shares of United Security Bancshares by 7.8% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 43,549 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $336,000 after acquiring an additional 3,150 shares in the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Security Bancshares during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $108,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in United Security Bancshares by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 558,965 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,310,000 after buying an additional 14,472 shares during the last quarter. 30.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Security Bancshares Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of UBFO traded up $0.02 during trading on Friday, reaching $8.14. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 13,404 shares, compared to its average volume of 65,405. The company has a fifty day moving average of $7.37 and a two-hundred day moving average of $7.46. United Security Bancshares has a twelve month low of $6.78 and a twelve month high of $8.74. The company has a market cap of $140.98 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.83 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

United Security Bancshares (NASDAQ:UBFO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 18th. The financial services provider reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $13.04 million for the quarter. United Security Bancshares had a return on equity of 14.69% and a net margin of 26.73%.

United Security Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, July 8th were given a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.90%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, July 8th. United Security Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com assumed coverage on United Security Bancshares in a research report on Thursday. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock.

About United Security Bancshares

United Security Bancshares operates as the bank holding company for United Security Bank, a state-chartered bank that provides a range of commercial banking services to the business and professional community, and individuals in California. The company accepts various deposit products, including personal and business checking accounts, savings accounts, interest-bearing negotiable order of withdrawal accounts, money market accounts, and time certificates of deposit.