United Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBSI) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

United Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBSI) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the five brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, one has assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $41.8333.

UBSI has been the topic of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of United Bankshares in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Piper Sandler set a $42.50 price objective on shares of United Bankshares and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of United Bankshares from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. acquired a new position in United Bankshares during the third quarter valued at $562,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in United Bankshares during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Bankshares by 29.8% in the 3rd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 53,205 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,980,000 after purchasing an additional 12,226 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its stake in United Bankshares by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 101,891 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,794,000 after buying an additional 664 shares during the period. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC lifted its position in United Bankshares by 89.5% in the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 520,964 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $19,385,000 after buying an additional 246,006 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.80% of the company’s stock.

United Bankshares Stock Performance

UBSI stock traded up $1.47 during trading on Friday, reaching $37.23. 1,119,256 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 754,426. The firm has a market cap of $5.23 billion, a PE ratio of 12.21 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. United Bankshares has a 1-year low of $30.50 and a 1-year high of $44.43. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $36.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $36.69.

United Bankshares (NASDAQ:UBSI) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.10. United Bankshares had a return on equity of 8.15% and a net margin of 24.37%.The firm had revenue of $280.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $307.78 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.70 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that United Bankshares will post 2.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Bankshares Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a dividend of $0.38 per share. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This is a positive change from United Bankshares’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. United Bankshares’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.52%.

United Bankshares Company Profile

United Bankshares, Inc, through its subsidiaries, primarily provides commercial and retail banking products and services in the United States. It operates through two segments, Community Banking and Mortgage Banking. The company accepts checking, savings, and time and money market accounts; individual retirement accounts; and demand deposits, statement and special savings, and NOW accounts.