United Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBCP) Short Interest Update

United Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBCP) was the target of a large decrease in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 9,300 shares, a decrease of 28.5% from the February 28th total of 13,000 shares. Approximately 0.2% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 7,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.3 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Bancorp

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Wealthedge Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in United Bancorp in the 4th quarter valued at $258,000. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in shares of United Bancorp by 40.2% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 25,314 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $329,000 after buying an additional 7,264 shares during the last quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 3,633 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of United Bancorp by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 40,956 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $528,000 after buying an additional 2,125 shares during the period. Finally, Wesbanco Bank Inc. grew its holdings in shares of United Bancorp by 52.9% during the fourth quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 42,055 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $547,000 after buying an additional 14,550 shares during the last quarter. 15.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Bancorp Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:UBCP opened at $12.76 on Friday. United Bancorp has a 12 month low of $11.40 and a 12 month high of $14.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.13 million, a P/E ratio of 10.05 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $13.08 and its 200 day moving average price is $13.06.

United Bancorp (NASDAQ:UBCP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 7th. The financial services provider reported $0.31 earnings per share (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 company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a $0.1825 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $0.73 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.72%. This is a boost from United Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. United Bancorp’s payout ratio is currently 57.48%.

About United Bancorp

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.