StockNews.com Upgrades Union Bankshares (NASDAQ:UNB) to Hold

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Union Bankshares (NASDAQ:UNB) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report published on Tuesday morning.

Union Bankshares Stock Performance

UNB opened at $28.90 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $30.45 and its 200-day simple moving average is $29.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The stock has a market cap of $130.77 million, a PE ratio of 14.90 and a beta of 0.80. Union Bankshares has a 1 year low of $21.00 and a 1 year high of $37.70.

Union Bankshares (NASDAQ:UNB) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 15th. The bank reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Union Bankshares had a net margin of 11.74% and a return on equity of 13.09%.

Union Bankshares Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 6th. Investors of record on Saturday, January 25th were given a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. Union Bankshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 74.23%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Union Bankshares

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in shares of Union Bankshares by 24.0% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 4,225 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $122,000 after purchasing an additional 819 shares in the last quarter. Alpine Global Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Union Bankshares during the 4th quarter worth about $269,000. 683 Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Union Bankshares during the 4th quarter valued at about $304,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its position in Union Bankshares by 13.2% in the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 18,708 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $541,000 after buying an additional 2,176 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in Union Bankshares by 16.8% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 30,880 shares of the bank’s stock worth $893,000 after buying an additional 4,436 shares during the last quarter. 14.84% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Union Bankshares Company Profile

Union Bankshares, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Union Bank that provides retail, commercial, and municipal banking products and services in northern Vermont and New Hampshire. It offers retail depository services, such as personal checking, savings, money market, IRA/SEP/KEOGH, and health savings accounts, as well as certificates of deposit.