Univest Financial (NASDAQ:UVSP) Sets New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP) shares reached a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $31.05 and last traded at $31.05, with a volume of 3285 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $28.70.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Univest Financial from $24.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $29.00 price objective (up previously from $23.00) on shares of Univest Financial in a research report on Friday, July 26th.

Univest Financial Trading Up 9.9 %

The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $27.81 and a 200-day simple moving average of $25.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $915.63 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.53 and a beta of 0.85.

Univest Financial (NASDAQ:UVSP) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $126.59 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $74.11 million. Univest Financial had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 8.24%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.58 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Univest Financial Co. will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Univest Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 6th will be given a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 6th. Univest Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.73%.

Insider Activity at Univest Financial

In other Univest Financial news, CEO Jeffrey M. Schweitzer sold 1,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.50, for a total transaction of $34,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 90,187 shares in the company, valued at $2,570,329.50. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Univest Financial news, CEO Jeffrey M. Schweitzer sold 1,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.50, for a total transaction of $34,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 90,187 shares in the company, valued at $2,570,329.50. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Michael S. Keim sold 3,633 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.76, for a total transaction of $104,485.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 55,679 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,601,328.04. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 14,389 shares of company stock worth $412,352. 2.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Univest Financial

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UVSP. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Univest Financial by 1.2% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,571,213 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $32,713,000 after purchasing an additional 19,307 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its position in Univest Financial by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,210,351 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $27,632,000 after buying an additional 12,401 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in shares of Univest Financial by 21.0% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 482,089 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $11,006,000 after acquiring an additional 83,599 shares in the last quarter. Leeward Investments LLC MA increased its position in shares of Univest Financial by 5.6% during the second quarter. Leeward Investments LLC MA now owns 404,942 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $9,245,000 after acquiring an additional 21,550 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in shares of Univest Financial by 57.5% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 228,321 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,425,000 after acquiring an additional 83,312 shares in the last quarter. 75.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.