Voya Investment Management LLC Has $5.27 Million Stock Position in United Community Banks, Inc. $UCB

Voya Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of United Community Banks, Inc. (NASDAQ:UCB) by 5.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 187,408 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 9,346 shares during the quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC owned 0.15% of United Community Banks worth $5,272,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Quarry LP bought a new stake in United Community Banks during the first quarter worth about $26,000. Versant Capital Management Inc bought a new position in shares of United Community Banks in the 1st quarter valued at $37,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new position in United Community Banks during the 4th quarter worth $42,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB acquired a new stake in United Community Banks during the 1st quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, CWM LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Community Banks in the 1st quarter valued at about $62,000. Institutional investors own 82.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UCB has been the subject of several research reports. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on shares of United Community Banks from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. 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 report on Monday, July 28th. Hovde Group raised their price target 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. Finally, Raymond James Financial restated a “market perform” rating on shares of United Community Banks in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, United Community Banks has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $34.57.

United Community Banks Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:UCB opened at $32.44 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $31.68 and a 200 day moving average of $29.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. United Community Banks, Inc. has a 52 week low of $22.93 and a 52 week high of $35.38. The company has a market capitalization of $3.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.90 and a beta of 0.86.

United Community Banks (NASDAQ:UCB) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.05. United Community Banks had a return on equity of 8.64% and a net margin of 16.48%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that United Community Banks, Inc. will post 2.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Community Banks Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This is a positive change from United Community Banks’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. United Community Banks’s payout ratio is currently 45.45%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Richard Bradshaw sold 1,616 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.94, for a total value of $49,999.04. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 78,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,425,541.30. This trade represents a 2.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.43% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

United Community Banks Profile

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.