United Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBSI) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

United Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBSI) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the five research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $44.6667.

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on UBSI shares. Weiss Ratings raised United Bankshares from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on United Bankshares from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Zacks Research upgraded United Bankshares from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Stephens lifted their price target on United Bankshares from $40.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $47.00 price objective on shares of United Bankshares in a research report on Monday, January 26th.

United Bankshares Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of United Bankshares stock opened at $41.08 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $42.00 and a two-hundred day moving average of $39.13. United Bankshares has a 12-month low of $30.50 and a 12-month high of $45.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The stock has a market cap of $5.73 billion, a PE ratio of 12.56 and a beta of 0.76.

United Bankshares (NASDAQ:UBSI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.86 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $430.85 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $315.50 million. United Bankshares had a return on equity of 8.60% and a net margin of 25.51%.During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.69 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that United Bankshares will post 2.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Bankshares Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $0.38 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.7%. United Bankshares’s payout ratio is presently 46.48%.

Institutional Trading of United Bankshares

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of UBSI. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of United Bankshares in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $68,366,000. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in United Bankshares by 367.5% in the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,935,979 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $70,528,000 after buying an additional 1,521,864 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in United Bankshares by 74.7% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,625,205 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $62,408,000 after buying an additional 694,953 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in United Bankshares by 75.1% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,177,051 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $45,199,000 after buying an additional 504,986 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in United Bankshares by 64.6% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 782,292 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,109,000 after buying an additional 307,159 shares during the last quarter. 70.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About United Bankshares

United Bankshares, Inc, headquartered in Charleston, West Virginia, is a bank holding company that provides a full range of financial services through its primary subsidiary, United Bank. The company’s core offerings include retail and commercial banking products such as checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, personal and business loans, mortgages, and treasury management services. In addition, United Bankshares delivers private banking, wealth management, trust and fiduciary solutions, and investment advisory services to meet the needs of individual, corporate, and institutional clients.

United Bankshares operates an extensive branch network across West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina.