XTX Topco Ltd Makes New $259,000 Investment in United Community Banks, Inc. (NASDAQ:UCB)

XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of United Community Banks, Inc. (NASDAQ:UCB) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 9,196 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $259,000.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc purchased a new stake in United Community Banks during the 1st quarter worth $37,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in United Community Banks in the 4th quarter worth $42,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB acquired a new position in United Community Banks in the 1st quarter worth $45,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC acquired a new position in United Community Banks in the 4th quarter worth $59,000. Finally, CWM LLC acquired a new position in United Community Banks in the 1st quarter worth $62,000. 82.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on UCB shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of United Community Banks from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Hovde Group increased their price objective on shares of United Community Banks from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $36.00 price objective on shares of United Community Banks in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of United Community Banks in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, DA Davidson increased their price objective on shares of United Community Banks from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $34.57.

United Community Banks Price Performance

NASDAQ UCB opened at $29.65 on Tuesday. United Community Banks, Inc. has a 52 week low of $22.93 and a 52 week high of $35.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The stock has a market cap of $3.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.53 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $30.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $29.47.

United Community Banks (NASDAQ:UCB) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.05. United Community Banks had a net margin of 16.48% and a return on equity of 8.64%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that United Community Banks, Inc. will post 2.52 EPS for the current year.

United Community Banks Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 3rd. Investors of record on Sunday, June 15th were issued a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 13th. United Community Banks’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.64%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Richard Bradshaw sold 1,616 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.94, for a total transaction of $49,999.04. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 78,395 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,425,541.30. This trade represents a 2.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.43% of the company’s stock.

About United Community Banks

United Community Banks, Inc operates as the financial holding company for United Community Bank that provides financial products and services to commercial, retail, government, education, energy, health care, and real estate sectors. It accepts various deposit products, including checking, savings, money market, and other deposit accounts.