United Bankshares (NASDAQ:UBSI) Rating Lowered to Sell at StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of United Bankshares (NASDAQ:UBSI) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report published on Monday morning.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $43.00 price objective on shares of United Bankshares in a research report on Monday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of United Bankshares from $46.00 to $45.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday.

United Bankshares Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ UBSI opened at $38.31 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $39.31 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 firm has a market cap of $5.18 billion, a PE ratio of 14.51 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11.

United Bankshares (NASDAQ:UBSI) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 prior year, the company earned $0.59 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that United Bankshares will post 2.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Bankshares Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th were given a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 13th. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.86%. United Bankshares’s payout ratio is 54.01%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Peter A. Converse sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total transaction of $200,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 434,769 shares in the company, valued at $17,390,760. This represents a 1.14 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, 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 value of $107,150.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 13,500 shares of company stock worth $542,110 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 3.66% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Bankshares

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in shares of United Bankshares by 237.6% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 844 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 594 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its position in shares of United Bankshares by 1,921.1% in the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 1,435 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 1,364 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of United Bankshares by 34.6% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,079 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $77,000 after acquiring an additional 534 shares during the last quarter. Milestone Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Bankshares in the fourth quarter worth approximately $201,000. Finally, Choreo LLC bought a new stake in United Bankshares in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $206,000. 70.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.