Stephens Reiterates “Equal Weight” Rating for United Bankshares (NASDAQ:UBSI)

United Bankshares (NASDAQ:UBSI)‘s stock had its “equal weight” rating reiterated by stock analysts at Stephens in a note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $43.00 price target on the financial services provider’s stock. Stephens’ price target would suggest a potential upside of 11.78% from the stock’s previous close.

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded United Bankshares from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th.

United Bankshares Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:UBSI opened at $38.47 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $39.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $38.29. United Bankshares has a 1-year low of $30.68 and a 1-year high of $44.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The stock has a market cap of $5.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.57 and a beta of 1.03.

United Bankshares (NASDAQ:UBSI) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.69 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.01. United Bankshares had a net margin of 22.05% and a return on equity of 7.58%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.59 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that United Bankshares will post 2.73 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other United Bankshares news, Director J Paul Mcnamara sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.86, for a total transaction of $107,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 63,409 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,717,709.74. The trade was a 3.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Mark R. Nesselroad sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.16, for a total value of $234,960.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 35,424 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,387,203.84. The trade was a 14.48 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 13,500 shares of company stock valued at $542,110 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 3.66% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. increased its stake in United Bankshares by 16.7% during the 3rd quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 1,558,081 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $57,805,000 after buying an additional 223,150 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of United Bankshares during the fourth quarter worth about $7,383,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of United Bankshares in the third quarter worth about $6,186,000. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in United Bankshares by 89.5% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 269,852 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $10,012,000 after purchasing an additional 127,486 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Systematic Financial Management LP grew its stake in United Bankshares by 73.8% during the 2nd quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 279,039 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $9,052,000 after purchasing an additional 118,501 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.