Comerica Bank Sells 802 Shares of Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP)

Comerica Bank lessened its holdings in shares of Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP) by 10.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 6,648 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 802 shares during the period. Comerica Bank’s holdings in Univest Financial were worth $196,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in UVSP. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in shares of Univest Financial by 91.3% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 66,603 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,875,000 after purchasing an additional 31,783 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Univest Financial by 35.9% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 48,312 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,348,000 after purchasing an additional 12,771 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Univest Financial by 64.4% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 103,531 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,913,000 after purchasing an additional 40,545 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its holdings in Univest Financial by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 24,724 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $730,000 after acquiring an additional 488 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in Univest Financial by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 98,430 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,905,000 after acquiring an additional 4,739 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.07% of the company’s stock.

Univest Financial Price Performance

Univest Financial stock opened at $30.58 on Friday. Univest Financial Co. has a 12-month low of $20.37 and a 12-month high of $32.75. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $28.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $29.68. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The stock has a market cap of $883.15 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.81 and a beta of 0.73.

Univest Financial (NASDAQ:UVSP) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.77 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.13. Univest Financial had a return on equity of 8.51% and a net margin of 15.17%. The firm had revenue of $79.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $77.65 million. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Univest Financial Co. will post 2.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Univest Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 21st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 7th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 7th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.88%. This is a positive change from Univest Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Univest Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.96%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Transactions at Univest Financial

In other Univest Financial news, Director Anne Vazquez purchased 1,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were bought at an average price of $28.63 per share, with a total value of $35,787.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,250 shares in the company, valued at $178,937.50. This trade represents a 25.00% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.