UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp Has $15.69 Million Stake in Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP)

UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp grew its position in Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP) by 0.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 531,828 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 380 shares during the period. Univest Financial comprises about 1.0% of UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp’s holdings in Univest Financial were worth $15,694,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of UVSP. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Univest Financial in the third quarter valued at about $79,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew 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 acquiring an additional 617 shares in the last quarter. Centiva Capital LP purchased a new stake in shares of Univest Financial in the third quarter worth $209,000. AlphaQuest LLC boosted its position in shares of Univest Financial by 93.1% during the 4th quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 14,571 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $430,000 after acquiring an additional 7,024 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Univest Financial in the 3rd quarter worth $417,000. Institutional investors own 75.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Anne Vazquez acquired 1,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $28.63 per share, for a total transaction of $35,787.50. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 6,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $178,937.50. This trade represents a 25.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Univest Financial Price Performance

Shares of Univest Financial stock opened at $29.30 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $29.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $29.48. Univest Financial Co. has a 12-month low of $18.41 and a 12-month high of $32.75. The firm has a market cap of $849.76 million, a PE ratio of 11.31 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

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

Univest Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 5th were issued 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 dividend yield of 2.87%. Univest Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $31.00 target price on shares of Univest Financial in a research 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.