Stephens Reiterates “Equal Weight” Rating for Univest Financial (NASDAQ:UVSP)

Stephens reiterated their equal weight rating on shares of Univest Financial (NASDAQ:UVSP) in a report released on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $31.00 price objective on the financial services provider’s stock.

Separately, Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of Univest Financial from $24.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th.

Univest Financial Price Performance

UVSP opened at $29.86 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $867.13 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.53 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $30.42 and its 200 day moving average price is $28.49. Univest Financial has a 12-month low of $18.41 and a 12-month high of $32.75.

Univest Financial (NASDAQ:UVSP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.08. Univest Financial had a net margin of 15.17% and a return on equity of 8.51%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Univest Financial will post 2.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Univest Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th will be given a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 5th. Univest Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.43%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UVSP. Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in shares of Univest Financial by 19.0% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 141,638 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,233,000 after purchasing an additional 22,644 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its holdings in Univest Financial by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,210,351 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,632,000 after buying an additional 12,401 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning boosted its position in shares of Univest Financial by 21.9% during the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 40,220 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $918,000 after acquiring an additional 7,232 shares in the last quarter. Ariadne Wealth Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Univest Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at about $231,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Univest Financial during the 3rd quarter worth about $289,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.07% of the company’s stock.

About Univest Financial

Univest Financial Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Univest Bank and Trust Co that provides banking products and services primarily in the United States. It operates through three segments: Banking, Wealth Management, and Insurance. The Banking segment offers a range of banking services, such as deposit taking, loan origination and servicing, mortgage banking, other general banking, and equipment lease financing services for individuals, businesses, municipalities, and nonprofit organizations.