Hopwood Financial Services Inc. Acquires New Position in United Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBSI)

Hopwood Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of United Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBSI) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund purchased 3,125 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $117,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in United Bankshares in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in shares of United Bankshares by 55.8% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 866 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 310 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its holdings in shares of United Bankshares by 1,921.1% in the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 1,435 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 1,364 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of United Bankshares by 10.1% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 3,115 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $117,000 after acquiring an additional 285 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Milestone Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Bankshares during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $201,000. 70.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Bankshares Price Performance

NASDAQ UBSI opened at $34.04 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.87 billion, a PE ratio of 12.42 and a beta of 0.98. United Bankshares, Inc. has a 12-month low of $30.68 and a 12-month high of $44.43. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $37.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $38.30.

United Bankshares (NASDAQ:UBSI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 last year, the firm posted $0.59 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that United Bankshares, Inc. will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Bankshares Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.35%. United Bankshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.01%.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Bankshares

In other United Bankshares news, Director Mark R. Nesselroad sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.16, for a total transaction of $234,960.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 35,424 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,387,203.84. This represents a 14.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 3.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on UBSI shares. StockNews.com downgraded United Bankshares from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of 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 reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $43.00 price objective on shares of United Bankshares in a research report on Monday, January 27th.

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.