Stephens Reiterates “Equal Weight” Rating for Univest Financial (NASDAQ:UVSP)

Stephens reissued their equal weight rating on shares of Univest Financial (NASDAQ:UVSP) in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. Stephens currently has a $31.00 target price on the financial services provider’s stock.

Separately, Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of Univest Financial from $24.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th.

Univest Financial Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of UVSP stock opened at $30.28 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $879.33 million, a PE ratio of 11.69 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02. Univest Financial has a 1 year low of $18.41 and a 1 year high of $32.75. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $30.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $28.60.

Univest Financial (NASDAQ:UVSP) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, research analysts expect that Univest Financial will post 2.32 EPS for the current year.

Univest Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.77%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 5th. Univest Financial’s payout ratio is currently 32.43%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Univest Financial

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its stake in Univest Financial by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 24,724 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $730,000 after purchasing an additional 488 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Univest Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Univest Financial by 2,713.5% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,463 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 1,411 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its stake in shares of Univest Financial by 66.1% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 6,196 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $174,000 after acquiring an additional 2,465 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of Univest Financial in the 3rd quarter worth $79,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.07% of the company’s stock.

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.