AlphaQuest LLC Grows Position in Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP)

AlphaQuest LLC lifted its position in shares of Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP) by 93.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,571 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,024 shares during the quarter. AlphaQuest LLC owned about 0.05% of Univest Financial worth $430,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bailard Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Univest Financial by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 21,132 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $624,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its position in Univest Financial by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 24,724 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $730,000 after buying an additional 488 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in Univest Financial by 14.8% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 4,796 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $142,000 after buying an additional 617 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Univest Financial by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 28,200 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $832,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in shares of Univest Financial by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 152,028 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,486,000 after acquiring an additional 807 shares during the last quarter. 75.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Univest Financial Stock Down 0.3 %

UVSP stock opened at $27.71 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $803.65 million, a P/E ratio of 10.70 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02. Univest Financial Co. has a 1-year low of $18.41 and a 1-year high of $32.75. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $29.84 and a 200-day moving average price of $29.45.

Univest Financial (NASDAQ:UVSP) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.65 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.57 by $0.08. Univest Financial had a return on equity of 8.51% and a net margin of 15.17%. Equities analysts forecast that Univest Financial Co. will post 2.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Univest Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 5th were given a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 5th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.03%. Univest Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $31.00 target price on shares of Univest Financial in a report on Thursday, January 23rd.

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.