United Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBCP) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

United Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBCP) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of May. As of May 29th, there was short interest totaling 13,903 shares, an increase of 57.5% from the May 14th total of 8,826 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 14,491 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.0 days. Approximately 0.3% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Weiss Ratings raised shares of United Bancorp from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy”.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Bancorp

In other news, CEO Scott A. Everson purchased 2,213 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $14.93 per share, with a total value of $33,040.09. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 143,162 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,137,408.66. This trade represents a 1.57% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Gary W. Glessner purchased 3,527 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $14.93 per share, with a total value of $52,658.11. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 108,002 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,612,469.86. This trade represents a 3.38% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders acquired 7,295 shares of company stock valued at $108,914. Insiders own 13.86% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Bancorp

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UBCP. Vawter Financial Ltd. purchased a new position in United Bancorp in the 3rd quarter worth $523,000. Appalachian Capital Management Ltd purchased a new position in shares of United Bancorp in the fourth quarter valued at about $479,000. Citadel Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Bancorp in the third quarter valued at about $151,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of United Bancorp by 8.7% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 95,346 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,332,000 after acquiring an additional 7,605 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of United Bancorp in the second quarter valued at about $64,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 15.42% of the company’s stock.

United Bancorp Stock Performance

United Bancorp stock opened at $15.32 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $15.67 and its 200-day moving average price is $14.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a current ratio of 0.75. The stock has a market cap of $88.55 million, a P/E ratio of 11.35 and a beta of 0.33. United Bancorp has a fifty-two week low of $12.47 and a fifty-two week high of $17.33.

United Bancorp (NASDAQ:UBCP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $7.94 million for the quarter. United Bancorp had a net margin of 16.29% and a return on equity of 11.80%.

United Bancorp Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 10th will be given a dividend of $0.195 per share. This is an increase from United Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 10th. This represents a $0.78 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.1%. United Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is 57.78%.

United Bancorp Company Profile

United Bancorp, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Unified Bank that provides commercial and retail banking services in Ohio. The company provides range of banking and financial services, which includes accepting demand, savings, and time deposits. It also offers commercial, real estate and consumer loans. United Bancorp, Inc was founded in 1902 and is headquartered in Martins Ferry, Ohio.