MetLife Investment Management LLC Increases Stock Position in Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP)

MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP) by 5.8% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 17,559 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 969 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Univest Financial were worth $518,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Barclays PLC lifted its position in Univest Financial by 91.3% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 66,603 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,875,000 after buying an additional 31,783 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Univest Financial by 64.4% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 103,531 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,913,000 after buying an additional 40,545 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Univest Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,299,000. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in Univest Financial by 12.7% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 632,354 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $18,661,000 after acquiring an additional 71,265 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its stake in Univest Financial by 22.0% in the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 56,148 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,657,000 after purchasing an additional 10,131 shares during the last quarter. 75.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $31.00 target price on shares of Univest Financial in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd.

Insider Activity at Univest Financial

In related news, Director Anne Vazquez purchased 1,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $28.63 per share, with a total value of $35,787.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $178,937.50. This trade represents a 25.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Univest Financial Stock Performance

Shares of Univest Financial stock opened at $30.55 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $28.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $29.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $886.01 million, a P/E ratio of 11.80 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. Univest Financial Co. has a 52 week low of $20.37 and a 52 week high of $32.75.

Univest Financial (NASDAQ:UVSP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $79.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $77.65 million. Univest Financial had a net margin of 15.17% and a return on equity of 8.51%. Sell-side analysts expect that Univest Financial Co. will post 2.36 EPS for the current year.

Univest Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 21st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 7th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.88%. This is a boost from Univest Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 7th. Univest Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.96%.

Univest Financial Profile

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.