Raymond James Financial Inc. Invests $2.30 Million in Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP)

Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 77,891 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,299,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of UVSP. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Univest Financial by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 704,445 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $19,826,000 after buying an additional 23,770 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of Univest Financial by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 152,028 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,486,000 after acquiring an additional 807 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in Univest Financial by 64.4% during the third 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 last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in Univest Financial by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 98,430 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,905,000 after purchasing an additional 4,739 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Martingale Asset Management L P increased its position in Univest Financial by 58.8% in the 3rd quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 71,530 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,013,000 after purchasing an additional 26,473 shares during the last quarter. 75.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Anne Vazquez purchased 1,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $28.63 per share, with a total value of $35,787.50. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 6,250 shares in the company, valued at $178,937.50. This represents a 25.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $31.00 price target on shares of Univest Financial in a report on Thursday, January 23rd.

Univest Financial Stock Performance

Shares of UVSP opened at $28.65 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $830.91 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.06 and a beta of 0.89. The company’s fifty day moving average is $29.80 and its 200-day moving average is $29.51. 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 12 month low of $18.41 and a 12 month high of $32.75.

Univest Financial (NASDAQ:UVSP) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.65 EPS 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%. Equities analysts expect that Univest Financial Co. will post 2.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Univest Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th were paid a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 5th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.93%. Univest Financial’s payout ratio is 32.43%.

Univest Financial 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.