BNP Paribas Financial Markets Acquires 11,555 Shares of Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in shares of Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP) by 94.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 23,840 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,555 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned 0.08% of Univest Financial worth $704,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in shares of Univest Financial by 161.2% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,003 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 619 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in Univest Financial by 14.8% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 4,796 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $142,000 after acquiring an additional 617 shares in the last quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury bought a new position in Univest Financial in the 4th quarter worth about $244,000. Zacks Investment Management bought a new stake in shares of Univest Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $289,000. Finally, Trexquant Investment LP bought a new stake in shares of Univest Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $290,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Univest Financial

In related news, Director Anne Vazquez acquired 1,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Univest Financial Stock Down 1.2%

NASDAQ:UVSP opened at $29.62 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02. Univest Financial Co. has a 1-year low of $20.37 and a 1-year high of $32.75. The company has a 50-day moving average of $28.69 and a 200 day moving average of $29.74. The firm has a market cap of $855.43 million, a PE ratio of 11.44 and a beta of 0.73.

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

Univest Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 21st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 7th were issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 7th. This is an increase from Univest Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.97%. Univest Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.96%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.