Pathward Financial (NASDAQ:CASH – Get Free Report) and Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania (NASDAQ:UVSP – Get Free Report) are both finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, institutional ownership, dividends, earnings, profitability, analyst recommendations and risk.
Dividends
Pathward Financial pays an annual dividend of $0.20 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.2%. Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania pays an annual dividend of $0.88 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.6%. Pathward Financial pays out 2.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania pays out 28.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania has raised its dividend for 1 consecutive years. Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.
Analyst Ratings
This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for Pathward Financial and Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania, as provided by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Pathward Financial | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3.00 |
| Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2.25 |
Institutional and Insider Ownership
92.7% of Pathward Financial shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 75.1% of Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.4% of Pathward Financial shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 1.7% of Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.
Profitability
This table compares Pathward Financial and Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Pathward Financial | 22.95% | 22.76% | 2.63% |
| Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania | 17.51% | 9.89% | 1.11% |
Risk & Volatility
Pathward Financial has a beta of 0.75, suggesting that its share price is 25% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania has a beta of 0.69, suggesting that its share price is 31% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Earnings & Valuation
This table compares Pathward Financial and Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Pathward Financial | $851.49 million | 2.37 | $185.87 million | $8.18 | 11.13 |
| Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania | $518.35 million | 1.89 | $90.76 million | $3.14 | 10.95 |
Pathward Financial has higher revenue and earnings than Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania. Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Pathward Financial, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Summary
Pathward Financial beats Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania on 14 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Pathward Financial
Pathward Financial, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Pathward, National Association that provides various banking products and services in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Consumer, Commercial, and Corporate Services/Other. It offers demand deposit accounts, savings accounts, and money market savings accounts. The company also provides commercial finance product comprising term lending, asset-based lending, factoring, lease financing, insurance premium finance, government guaranteed lending, and other commercial finance products; consumer credit products; other consumer financing services; tax services, which includes short-term refund advance loans and short-term electronic return originator advance loans; and warehouse financing services. In addition, it issues prepaid cards; and offers payment solutions, such as acceptance, processing, and settlement of credit card and debit card payments. The company was formerly known as Meta Financial Group, Inc. and changed its name to Pathward Financial, Inc. in July 2022. Pathward Financial, Inc. was founded in 1954 and is based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
About Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania
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. Its Wealth Management segment provides investment advisory, financial planning, and trust and brokerage services for private families and individuals, municipal pension plans, retirement plans, and trusts and guardianships. The Insurance segment offers commercial property and casualty insurance, employee benefits solutions, personal insurance lines, and human resources consulting services. The company was formerly known as Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania and changed its name to Univest Financial Corporation in January 2019. The company was founded in 1876 and is headquartered in Souderton, Pennsylvania.
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