Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP) Shares Bought by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its position in shares of Univest Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UVSP) by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,210,351 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 12,401 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company’s holdings in Univest Financial were worth $27,632,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Leeward Investments LLC MA raised its holdings 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 worth $9,245,000 after purchasing an additional 21,550 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 26,234 shares during the period. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System bought a new position in Univest Financial in the first quarter worth about $465,000. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in Univest Financial by 8.0% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 82,701 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,722,000 after acquiring an additional 6,125 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Univest Financial by 1.2% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,571,213 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $32,713,000 after purchasing an additional 19,307 shares during the last quarter. 75.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Univest Financial

In other news, COO Michael S. Keim sold 3,633 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Jeffrey M. Schweitzer sold 1,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.50, for a total transaction of $34,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 90,187 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,570,329.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, COO Michael S. Keim sold 3,633 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.76, for a total transaction of $104,485.08. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 55,679 shares in the company, valued at $1,601,328.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 14,389 shares of company stock valued at $412,352. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Univest Financial Stock Performance

UVSP opened at $28.14 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The business’s 50 day moving average is $27.34 and its 200-day moving average is $23.54. The stock has a market cap of $823.71 million, a PE ratio of 11.77 and a beta of 0.85. Univest Financial Co. has a twelve month low of $16.10 and a twelve month high of $29.49.

Univest Financial (NASDAQ:UVSP) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.51 by $0.10. Univest Financial had a return on equity of 8.23% and a net margin of 14.91%. The firm had revenue of $120.81 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $72.50 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.61 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Univest Financial Co. will post 2.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Univest Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 21st. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 7th were given a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 7th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.99%. Univest Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $29.00 price target (up previously from $23.00) on shares of Univest Financial in a report on Friday, July 26th. Piper Sandler raised their target price on Univest Financial from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th.

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.