United Community Banks, Inc. (NYSE:UCB) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of United Community Banks, Inc. (NYSE:UCB) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the seven analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $35.3333.

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of United Community Banks in a report on Wednesday, October 8th.

United Community Banks Stock Up 2.0%

NYSE:UCB opened at $31.32 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $3.81 billion, a PE ratio of 12.43 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $30.50. United Community Banks has a twelve month low of $22.93 and a twelve month high of $34.57.

United Community Banks (NYSE:UCB) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 22nd. The company reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.70 by $0.05. United Community Banks had a net margin of 20.67% and a return on equity of 9.42%. The company had revenue of $276.85 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $270.85 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.57 earnings per share. United Community Banks’s revenue for the quarter was up 27.4% compared to the same quarter last year.

United Community Banks Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. United Community Banks’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.68%.

Insider Transactions at United Community Banks

In other news, EVP Richard Bradshaw sold 1,654 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.23, for a total value of $50,000.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 75,226 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,274,081.98. This represents a 2.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.54% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Community Banks

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of United Community Banks during the 1st quarter valued at about $40,871,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in United Community Banks during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $42,061,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of United Community Banks by 149.3% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 886,741 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,944,000 after acquiring an additional 531,058 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Community Banks by 671.1% during the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 556,231 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,647,000 after acquiring an additional 484,094 shares during the period. Finally, Azora Capital LP bought a new position in shares of United Community Banks in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $13,423,000. 82.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Community Banks Company 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. The company accepts various deposit products, including checking, savings, money market, and other deposit accounts.