Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania (NASDAQ:UVSP) Sets New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania (NASDAQ:UVSP) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $37.11 and last traded at $36.8950, with a volume of 17480 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $35.79.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UVSP has been the topic of several research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania in a report on Friday, March 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $35.00.

Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $1.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.75 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $34.18 and a 200-day simple moving average of $32.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.05.

Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania (NASDAQ:UVSP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.78 by $0.01. Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania had a net margin of 17.51% and a return on equity of 9.82%. The company had revenue of $84.57 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $82.54 million. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania will post 2.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 11th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 11th. Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania’s payout ratio is 28.03%.

Institutional Trading of Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,741,938 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $52,293,000 after purchasing an additional 16,682 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania by 15.1% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,475,872 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $44,335,000 after purchasing an additional 193,561 shares during the period. Pzena Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 890,902 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,745,000 after purchasing an additional 2,693 shares during the period. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp raised its stake in Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania by 22.2% during the 4th quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp now owns 617,526 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $20,218,000 after purchasing an additional 112,203 shares during the period. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania by 38.0% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 379,679 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $12,431,000 after purchasing an additional 104,516 shares during the period. 75.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania

Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania is a financial holding company headquartered in Souderton, Pennsylvania, operating through its primary subsidiary, Univest Bank and Trust Co The company offers a comprehensive range of banking services, including commercial and consumer lending, deposit products, mortgage banking, treasury and payment solutions, and wealth management services. Through its community banking model, Univest serves individuals, small to middle-market businesses, and nonprofit and public institutions.

Founded in 1893 as Souderton Industrial Savings Association, Univest has grown through a combination of organic expansion and targeted acquisitions.