Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania (NASDAQ:UVSP) Reaches New 52-Week High – What’s Next?

Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania (NASDAQ:UVSP) shares reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $39.85 and last traded at $39.85, with a volume of 4209 shares. The stock had previously closed at $39.30.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on UVSP shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania in a research note on Friday, March 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $37.00.

Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $1.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.83 and a beta of 0.67. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $36.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $34.53. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10.

Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania (NASDAQ:UVSP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.84 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $87.45 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $84.85 million. Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania had a return on equity of 10.19% and a net margin of 18.25%. Equities analysts forecast that Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania will post 3.6 EPS for the current year.

Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 6th were issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 6th. This is a boost from Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.63%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania news, COO Michael S. Keim sold 7,245 shares of Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.71, for a total transaction of $280,453.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 66,979 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,592,757.09. This trade represents a 9.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Natalye Paquin sold 13,000 shares of Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.80, for a total value of $491,400.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 17,004 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $642,751.20. The trade was a 43.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 1.83% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania by 0.4% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,886,235 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $64,622,000 after buying an additional 6,965 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania by 1.0% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,741,938 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $52,293,000 after buying an additional 16,682 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its holdings in shares of Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania by 15.1% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,475,872 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $44,335,000 after buying an additional 193,561 shares during the last quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania by 0.3% in the third quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 890,902 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,745,000 after buying an additional 2,693 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp raised its holdings in shares of Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania by 22.2% in the fourth quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp now owns 617,526 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $20,218,000 after buying an additional 112,203 shares during the last quarter. 75.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania

Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania is a financial holding company headquartered in Souderton, Pennsylvania, operating through its primary subsidiary, Univest Bank and Trust Co The company offers a comprehensive range of banking services, including commercial and consumer lending, deposit products, mortgage banking, treasury and payment solutions, and wealth management services. Through its community banking model, Univest serves individuals, small to middle-market businesses, and nonprofit and public institutions.

Founded in 1893 as Souderton Industrial Savings Association, Univest has grown through a combination of organic expansion and targeted acquisitions.