Vanguard Group Inc. Reduces Position in Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP)

Vanguard Group Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP) by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,495,117 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 64,629 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 5.07% of Univest Financial worth $25,985,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of UVSP. BlackRock Inc. grew its position in Univest Financial by 8.1% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 3,395,057 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $80,599,000 after purchasing an additional 255,765 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Univest Financial by 186.3% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 329,731 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,731,000 after acquiring an additional 214,572 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its stake in Univest Financial by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,556,151 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $44,426,000 after acquiring an additional 130,584 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC lifted its stake in Univest Financial by 135.9% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 200,023 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,227,000 after acquiring an additional 115,243 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Univest Financial by 260.6% during the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 126,699 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,008,000 after acquiring an additional 91,564 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.07% of the company’s stock.

Univest Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ UVSP opened at $18.72 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. Univest Financial Co. has a 12 month low of $16.10 and a 12 month high of $23.30. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $19.90 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $19.50. The stock has a market cap of $552.80 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.77 and a beta of 0.89.

Univest Financial (NASDAQ:UVSP) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.10. Univest Financial had a net margin of 15.85% and a return on equity of 8.89%. The firm had revenue of $71.38 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $70.32 million. As a group, analysts predict that Univest Financial Co. will post 2.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Univest Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 21st. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 7th were paid a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 6th. Univest Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.85%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of Univest Financial from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st.

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.