Short Interest in United Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBCP) Rises By 24.3%

United Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBCP) saw a significant growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 9,200 shares, a growth of 24.3% from the January 31st total of 7,400 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 6,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.4 days. Currently, 0.2% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Bancorp

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in UBCP. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in shares of United Bancorp by 40.2% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 25,314 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $329,000 after buying an additional 7,264 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in United Bancorp by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 40,956 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $528,000 after purchasing an additional 2,125 shares during the period. Founders Financial Alliance LLC increased its stake in United Bancorp by 11.0% in the fourth quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC now owns 36,642 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $476,000 after purchasing an additional 3,633 shares in the last quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. increased its stake in United Bancorp by 52.9% in the fourth quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 42,055 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $547,000 after purchasing an additional 14,550 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tallon Kerry Patrick acquired a new position in shares of United Bancorp during the fourth quarter valued at about $584,000. Institutional investors own 15.42% of the company’s stock.

United Bancorp Trading Up 2.7 %

NASDAQ:UBCP traded up $0.36 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $13.61. 2,782 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,736. United Bancorp has a fifty-two week low of $11.40 and a fifty-two week high of $15.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $78.76 million, a P/E ratio of 10.71 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $13.04 and a 200-day simple moving average of $12.92.

United Bancorp (NASDAQ:UBCP) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 7th. The financial services provider reported $0.31 EPS for the quarter. United Bancorp had a return on equity of 11.73% and a net margin of 16.83%.

United Bancorp Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $0.1825 dividend. This represents a $0.73 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.37%. This is an increase from United Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. United Bancorp’s payout ratio is currently 57.48%.

United Bancorp Company Profile

United Bancorp, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Unified Bank that provides commercial and retail banking services in Ohio. The company provides range of banking and financial services, which includes accepting demand, savings, and time deposits. It also offers commercial, real estate and consumer loans.