United Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBSI) Shares Purchased by AlphaQuest LLC

AlphaQuest LLC grew its holdings in United Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBSI) by 1,343.1% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 81,407 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 75,766 shares during the period. United Bankshares accounts for approximately 0.4% of AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 13th largest holding. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in United Bankshares were worth $3,057,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in United Bankshares in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in United Bankshares by 55.8% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 866 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 310 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its position in United Bankshares by 1,921.1% during the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 1,435 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 1,364 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its stake in shares of United Bankshares by 10.1% in the 4th 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 during the period. Finally, Milestone Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Bankshares in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $201,000. 70.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Bankshares Stock Down 0.4 %

UBSI stock opened at $35.08 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $37.39 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $38.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98. United Bankshares, Inc. has a 1-year low of $30.68 and a 1-year high of $44.43. The firm has a market cap of $5.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.80 and a beta of 0.98.

United Bankshares (NASDAQ:UBSI) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.01. United Bankshares had a return on equity of 7.60% and a net margin of 22.94%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.59 EPS. Research analysts predict that United Bankshares, Inc. will post 2.81 EPS for the current year.

United Bankshares Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. United Bankshares’s dividend payout ratio is currently 54.01%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Mark R. Nesselroad sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.16, for a total transaction of $234,960.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 35,424 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,387,203.84. This represents a 14.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 3.66% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on UBSI. StockNews.com cut shares of United Bankshares from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $43.00 target price on shares of United Bankshares in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on shares of United Bankshares from $46.00 to $45.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 27th.

United Bankshares Company Profile

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.