Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP) Shares Sold by BLB&B Advisors LLC

BLB&B Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP) by 11.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 23,917 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 2,999 shares during the quarter. BLB&B Advisors LLC’s holdings in Univest Financial were worth $706,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Barclays PLC increased its stake in Univest Financial by 91.3% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 66,603 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,875,000 after purchasing an additional 31,783 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Univest Financial by 64.4% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 103,531 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,913,000 after buying an additional 40,545 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Univest Financial by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 704,445 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $19,826,000 after acquiring an additional 23,770 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Univest Financial by 75.8% during the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 48,782 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,373,000 after purchasing an additional 21,030 shares during the period. Finally, Martingale Asset Management L P lifted its stake in shares of Univest Financial by 58.8% in the 3rd quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 71,530 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,013,000 after acquiring an additional 26,473 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.07% of the company’s stock.

Univest Financial Stock Performance

NASDAQ:UVSP opened at $30.89 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $30.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $28.90. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The stock has a market cap of $897.05 million, a PE ratio of 11.93 and a beta of 0.89. Univest Financial Co. has a fifty-two week low of $18.41 and a fifty-two week high of $32.75.

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 the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.08. Univest Financial had a net margin of 15.17% and a return on equity of 8.51%. Analysts expect that Univest Financial Co. will post 2.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Univest Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 5th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.72%. Univest Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on UVSP shares. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $31.00 price target on shares of Univest Financial in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on Univest Financial from $24.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th.

Univest Financial Company Profile

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.