Insider Buying: Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP) Director Purchases 1,250 Shares of Stock

Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP) Director Anne Vazquez purchased 1,250 shares of Univest Financial stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $28.63 per share, for a total transaction of $35,787.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $178,937.50. The trade was a 25.00 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Univest Financial Stock Performance

UVSP stock traded up $0.56 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $29.00. 112,356 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 95,332. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $29.78 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $29.46. 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 Co. has a 52 week low of $18.41 and a 52 week high of $32.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $841.06 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.20 and a beta of 0.89.

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

Univest Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 5th were issued a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.90%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 5th. Univest Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.43%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in Univest Financial by 189.8% in the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 398,475 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $11,759,000 after buying an additional 260,990 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Univest Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $2,299,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its holdings in shares of Univest Financial by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,204,530 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $35,546,000 after acquiring an additional 75,964 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in Univest Financial by 12.7% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 632,354 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $18,661,000 after purchasing an additional 71,265 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Univest Financial by 64.4% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 103,531 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,913,000 after purchasing an additional 40,545 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $31.00 price objective on shares of Univest Financial in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd.

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.