United Bankshares (NASDAQ:UBSI) Lowered to “Sell” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of United Bankshares (NASDAQ:UBSI) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report released on Thursday.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of United Bankshares from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Stephens upped their price objective on shares of United Bankshares from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price objective on shares of United Bankshares from $36.00 to $41.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $40.25.

United Bankshares Price Performance

Shares of UBSI opened at $36.79 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $37.21 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $34.70. United Bankshares has a 12-month low of $25.35 and a 12-month high of $39.93. The stock has a market cap of $4.97 billion, a PE ratio of 14.04 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

United Bankshares (NASDAQ:UBSI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.07. United Bankshares had a return on equity of 7.72% and a net margin of 22.44%. The company had revenue of $255.94 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $255.54 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.68 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that United Bankshares will post 2.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Bankshares Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th will be given a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. United Bankshares’s payout ratio is currently 56.49%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Bankshares

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in United Bankshares by 253.5% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,545 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 1,108 shares during the last quarter. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new position in shares of United Bankshares in the 4th quarter worth approximately $58,000. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. bought a new position in shares of United Bankshares in the first quarter valued at approximately $79,000. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Bankshares during the second quarter valued at approximately $116,000. Finally, TFO Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in United Bankshares by 47,150.0% during the fourth quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,780 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $142,000 after acquiring an additional 3,772 shares during the period. 70.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.