United Bankshares (NASDAQ:UBSI) Upgraded to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of United Bankshares (NASDAQ:UBSI) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday morning.

UBSI has been the topic of a number of other reports. DA Davidson lifted their target price on shares of United Bankshares from $36.00 to $41.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Friday. Stephens lifted their price objective on shares of United Bankshares from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of United Bankshares from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a report on Friday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, United Bankshares presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $39.20.

United Bankshares Stock Performance

NASDAQ UBSI opened at $38.55 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $33.27 and a two-hundred day moving average of $34.16. The company has a market capitalization of $5.21 billion, a PE ratio of 14.71 and a beta of 1.00. United Bankshares has a 1 year low of $25.35 and a 1 year high of $39.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 1.00.

United Bankshares (NASDAQ:UBSI) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $255.94 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $255.54 million. United Bankshares had a return on equity of 7.72% and a net margin of 22.44%. The business’s revenue was down 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.68 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that United Bankshares will post 2.64 earnings per share for the current year.

United Bankshares Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 14th were paid a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.84%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 14th. United Bankshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 56.49%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Raymond James & Associates boosted its holdings in United Bankshares by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 106,471 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,998,000 after purchasing an additional 914 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of United Bankshares by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 72,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,704,000 after buying an additional 1,933 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in United Bankshares by 79.3% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 20,284 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $762,000 after acquiring an additional 8,972 shares during the period. AlphaMark Advisors LLC raised its position in United Bankshares by 8.5% in the fourth quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC now owns 8,740 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $328,000 after acquiring an additional 685 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings in United Bankshares by 206.0% in the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 976 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 657 shares during the period. 70.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About United Bankshares

United Bankshares, Inc, through its subsidiaries, primarily provides commercial and retail banking products and services in the United States. It operates through two segments, Community Banking and Mortgage Banking. The company accepts checking, savings, and time and money market accounts; individual retirement accounts; and demand deposits, statement and special savings, and NOW accounts.