United Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBCP) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

United Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBCP) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 7,800 shares, a growth of 23.8% from the December 15th total of 6,300 shares. Approximately 0.2% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 7,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.0 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Bancorp

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UBCP. BBR Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Bancorp during the third quarter valued at $131,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of United Bancorp by 8.4% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 33,376 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $419,000 after acquiring an additional 2,575 shares during the period. Tallon Kerry Patrick purchased a new position in shares of United Bancorp during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $584,000. Finally, Commonwealth Financial Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Bancorp by 1.1% during the third quarter. Commonwealth Financial Services LLC now owns 90,209 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,183,000 after purchasing an additional 988 shares during the last quarter. 15.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

United Bancorp Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:UBCP opened at $12.72 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. United Bancorp has a 52-week low of $11.40 and a 52-week high of $15.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $73.65 million, a P/E ratio of 9.22 and a beta of 0.40. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $13.21 and a 200-day moving average price of $12.75.

United Bancorp Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 10th were given a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.66%. This is an increase from United Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 10th. United Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is 52.17%.

United Bancorp Company Profile

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.