Insider Buying: Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP) Director Buys $16,779.40 in Stock

Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP) Director Natalye Paquin purchased 580 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 26th. The stock was bought at an average price of $28.93 per share, with a total value of $16,779.40. Following the purchase, the director now owns 22,651 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $655,293.43. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Natalye Paquin also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, May 7th, Natalye Paquin bought 860 shares of Univest Financial stock. The shares were acquired at an average price of $22.29 per share, with a total value of $19,169.40.

Univest Financial Stock Performance

UVSP stock opened at $29.18 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $854.10 million, a P/E ratio of 12.21 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $23.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $21.34. Univest Financial Co. has a fifty-two week low of $16.10 and a fifty-two week high of $29.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

Univest Financial (NASDAQ:UVSP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.51 by $0.10. Univest Financial had a net margin of 14.91% and a return on equity of 8.29%. The business had revenue of $120.81 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $72.50 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.61 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Univest Financial Co. will post 2.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Univest Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 7th will be given a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.88%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 7th. Univest Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.15%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Univest Financial

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its holdings in Univest Financial by 8.9% during the 4th quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,197,934 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,390,000 after buying an additional 98,009 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in shares of Univest Financial by 14.9% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 265,738 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,619,000 after purchasing an additional 34,521 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in shares of Univest Financial by 28.3% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 118,994 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,478,000 after purchasing an additional 26,234 shares in the last quarter. Bailard Inc. increased its holdings in Univest Financial by 203.6% in the fourth quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 33,400 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $736,000 after buying an additional 22,400 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System acquired a new position in Univest Financial in the first quarter worth approximately $465,000. 75.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on UVSP. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $29.00 target price (up previously from $23.00) on shares of Univest Financial in a research note on Friday. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of Univest Financial from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday.

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.