Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP) Shares Sold by Los Angeles Capital Management LLC

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC decreased its stake in shares of Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP) by 10.6% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 32,145 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 3,800 shares during the quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Univest Financial were worth $905,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in UVSP. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in Univest Financial by 21.0% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 482,089 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $11,006,000 after purchasing an additional 83,599 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in shares of Univest Financial by 57.5% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 228,321 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,425,000 after buying an additional 83,312 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in shares of Univest Financial by 28.3% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 118,994 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,478,000 after buying an additional 26,234 shares in the last quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System acquired a new position in shares of Univest Financial in the first quarter valued at approximately $465,000. Finally, Leeward Investments LLC MA lifted its stake in shares of Univest Financial by 5.6% during the second quarter. Leeward Investments LLC MA now owns 404,942 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $9,245,000 after buying an additional 21,550 shares during the period. 75.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Univest Financial Price Performance

UVSP stock opened at $30.94 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $28.32 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $25.64. The company has a market cap of $898.50 million, a PE ratio of 12.43 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. Univest Financial Co. has a 12-month low of $18.17 and a 12-month high of $32.24.

Univest Financial (NASDAQ:UVSP) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by $0.07. Univest Financial had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 8.24%. The firm had revenue of $126.59 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $74.11 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.58 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Univest Financial Co. will post 2.35 EPS for the current year.

Univest Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 6th will be given a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 6th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.71%. Univest Financial’s payout ratio is currently 33.73%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Jeffrey M. Schweitzer sold 2,773 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.56, for a total value of $79,196.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 90,187 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,575,740.72. The trade was a 2.98 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Michael S. Keim sold 3,633 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.76, for a total value of $104,485.08. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 55,679 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,601,328.04. This represents a 6.13 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 14,389 shares of company stock worth $412,352 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UVSP has been the topic of several analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a “market perform” rating and set a $29.00 price objective (up previously from $23.00) on shares of Univest Financial in a report on Friday, July 26th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Univest Financial from $24.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th.

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.