Union Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:UNB) Short Interest Update

Union Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:UNB) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 12,600 shares, a growth of 100.0% from the November 30th total of 6,300 shares. Approximately 0.3% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 7,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.6 days.

Union Bankshares Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ UNB traded up $0.20 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $28.60. The company had a trading volume of 5,127 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,013. Union Bankshares has a 1-year low of $21.00 and a 1-year high of $37.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $31.47 and its 200-day moving average is $26.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $129.42 million, a P/E ratio of 14.67 and a beta of 0.78.

Union Bankshares (NASDAQ:UNB) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The bank reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter. Union Bankshares had a net margin of 11.74% and a return on equity of 13.14%.

Union Bankshares Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 7th. Investors of record on Saturday, October 26th were issued a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 25th. Union Bankshares’s payout ratio is currently 73.85%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Union Bankshares

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Community Financial Services Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Union Bankshares in the third quarter valued at $220,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its stake in shares of Union Bankshares by 7.7% during the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 14,032 shares of the bank’s stock worth $301,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Union Bankshares by 10.4% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 30,924 shares of the bank’s stock worth $664,000 after buying an additional 2,914 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Union Bankshares by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 40,503 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,050,000 after buying an additional 1,188 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cardinal Capital Management raised its holdings in Union Bankshares by 15.1% in the 3rd quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 74,413 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,930,000 after acquiring an additional 9,784 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 14.84% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Union Bankshares from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday.

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.