Union Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:UNB) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Union Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:UNB) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in August. As of August 15th, there was short interest totalling 7,100 shares, an increase of 22.4% from the July 31st total of 5,800 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 6,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.0 days. Currently, 0.2% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com lowered shares of Union Bankshares from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, August 12th.

Institutional Trading of Union Bankshares

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cardinal Capital Management boosted its holdings in shares of Union Bankshares by 29.9% during the 1st quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 55,061 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,679,000 after buying an additional 12,690 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Union Bankshares by 10.4% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 30,924 shares of the bank’s stock worth $664,000 after acquiring an additional 2,914 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its holdings in Union Bankshares by 7.7% in the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 14,032 shares of the bank’s stock worth $301,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Finally, Community Financial Services Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Union Bankshares during the first quarter valued at approximately $259,000. 14.84% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Union Bankshares Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ UNB traded down $0.25 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $26.00. The company had a trading volume of 1,161 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,279. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $23.62 and its 200-day moving average price is $26.04. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. Union Bankshares has a one year low of $20.07 and a one year high of $32.00. The stock has a market cap of $117.49 million, a PE ratio of 11.08 and a beta of 0.79.

Union Bankshares (NASDAQ:UNB) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 9th. The bank reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $12.25 million for the quarter. Union Bankshares had a net margin of 13.63% and a return on equity of 16.36%.

Union Bankshares Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 1st. Stockholders of record on Saturday, July 27th were paid a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 26th. Union Bankshares’s payout ratio is 60.76%.

Union Bankshares Company Profile

Union Bankshares, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Union Bank that provides retail, commercial, and municipal banking products and services in northern Vermont and New Hampshire. It offers retail depository services, such as personal checking, savings, money market, IRA/SEP/KEOGH, and health savings accounts, as well as certificates of deposit.