Union Bankshares (NASDAQ:UNB) Upgraded by StockNews.com to “Hold” Rating

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Union Bankshares (NASDAQ:UNB) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Tuesday.

Union Bankshares Stock Performance

Shares of UNB stock opened at $32.12 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.83. The firm has a market cap of $145.18 million, a P/E ratio of 16.56 and a beta of 0.80. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $31.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $27.87. Union Bankshares has a one year low of $21.00 and a one year high of $37.70.

Union Bankshares (NASDAQ:UNB) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 15th. The bank reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter. Union Bankshares had a return on equity of 13.09% and a net margin of 11.74%.

Union Bankshares Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 6th. Shareholders of record on Saturday, January 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.36 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.48%. Union Bankshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 74.23%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Union Bankshares

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Community Financial Services Group LLC purchased a new stake in Union Bankshares during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $220,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its stake in Union Bankshares by 7.7% in the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 14,032 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $301,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Union Bankshares by 10.4% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 30,924 shares of the bank’s stock worth $664,000 after buying an additional 2,914 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Union Bankshares by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 40,503 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,050,000 after acquiring an additional 1,188 shares during the period. Finally, Cardinal Capital Management increased its stake in shares of Union Bankshares by 15.1% during the third quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 74,413 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,930,000 after acquiring an additional 9,784 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 14.84% of the company’s stock.

Union Bankshares Company Profile

Union Bankshares, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Union Bank that provides retail, commercial, and municipal banking products and services in northern Vermont and New Hampshire. It offers retail depository services, such as personal checking, savings, money market, IRA/SEP/KEOGH, and health savings accounts, as well as certificates of deposit.