Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania (NASDAQ:UVSP) Sets New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

Shares of Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania (NASDAQ:UVSP) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $40.67 and last traded at $40.5540, with a volume of 34460 shares. The stock had previously closed at $40.31.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on UVSP shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $37.00.

Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania Trading Up 0.6%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $37.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $34.95. The company has a market capitalization of $1.13 billion, a PE ratio of 12.18 and a beta of 0.67.

Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania (NASDAQ:UVSP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $87.45 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $84.85 million. Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania had a net margin of 18.25% and a return on equity of 10.19%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate 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 paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. 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%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 6th. Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania’s payout ratio is presently 27.63%.

Insider Transactions at Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania

In other Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania news, Director Natalye Paquin sold 13,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.80, for a total transaction of $491,400.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 17,004 shares in the company, valued at $642,751.20. The trade was a 43.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Michael S. Keim sold 7,245 shares of Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.71, for a total value of $280,453.95. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 66,979 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,592,757.09. The trade was a 9.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 1.83% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of UVSP. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp increased its holdings in 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. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania in the fourth quarter valued at about $688,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC bought a new stake in Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania in the fourth quarter valued at about $631,000. Evergreen Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania by 13.6% during the fourth quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 7,868 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $258,000 after purchasing an additional 942 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania during the fourth quarter valued at $213,000. 75.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.