United Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBSI) Short Interest Down 17.1% in February

United Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBSI) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,180,000 shares, a decrease of 17.1% from the January 31st total of 2,630,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 595,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.7 days. Approximately 1.7% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

United Bankshares Stock Up 0.3 %

UBSI opened at $35.33 on Thursday. United Bankshares has a fifty-two week low of $30.68 and a fifty-two week high of $44.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The company’s 50-day moving average is $37.57 and its 200 day moving average is $38.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.89 and a beta of 1.02.

United Bankshares (NASDAQ:UBSI) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.01. United Bankshares had a net margin of 22.94% and a return on equity of 7.60%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.59 EPS. Research analysts expect that United Bankshares will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Bankshares Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.19%. United Bankshares’s payout ratio is currently 54.01%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on UBSI shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of United Bankshares from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on United Bankshares from $46.00 to $45.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $43.00 price target on shares of United Bankshares in a research report on Monday, January 27th.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Mark R. Nesselroad sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.16, for a total transaction of $234,960.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 35,424 shares in the company, valued at $1,387,203.84. This represents a 14.48 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 3.66% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of United Bankshares

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of UBSI. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of United Bankshares during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its stake in shares of United Bankshares by 55.8% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 866 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 310 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its holdings in shares of United Bankshares by 1,921.1% in the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 1,435 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 1,364 shares during the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of United Bankshares by 37.0% in the 4th quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,480 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Bankshares in the 4th quarter valued at $85,000. Institutional investors own 70.80% of the company’s stock.

About United Bankshares

United Bankshares, Inc, through its subsidiaries, primarily provides commercial and retail banking products and services in the United States. It operates through two segments, Community Banking and Mortgage Banking. The company accepts checking, savings, and time and money market accounts; individual retirement accounts; and demand deposits, statement and special savings, and NOW accounts.