United Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBCP) Short Interest Update

United Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBCP) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of May. As of May 29th, there was short interest totaling 13,903 shares, a growth of 57.5% from the May 14th total of 8,826 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 14,491 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.0 days. Currently, 0.3% of the company’s shares are short sold.

United Bancorp Price Performance

NASDAQ:UBCP opened at $15.14 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $15.68 and a 200 day simple moving average of $14.91. United Bancorp has a 52-week low of $12.47 and a 52-week high of $17.33. The company has a market cap of $87.51 million, a PE ratio of 11.21 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a current ratio of 0.75.

United Bancorp (NASDAQ:UBCP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $7.94 million for the quarter. United Bancorp had a return on equity of 11.80% and a net margin of 16.29%.

United Bancorp Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 10th will be given a $0.195 dividend. This is an increase from United Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. This represents a $0.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 10th. United Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 57.78%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Gary W. Glessner purchased 3,527 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $14.93 per share, with a total value of $52,658.11. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 108,002 shares in the company, valued at $1,612,469.86. The trade was a 3.38% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Scott A. Everson acquired 2,213 shares of United Bancorp stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $14.93 per share, for a total transaction of $33,040.09. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 143,162 shares in the company, valued at $2,137,408.66. The trade was a 1.57% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders acquired 7,295 shares of company stock worth $108,914 in the last three months. Insiders own 13.86% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vawter Financial Ltd. bought a new position in United Bancorp in the 3rd quarter valued at about $523,000. Appalachian Capital Management Ltd bought a new position in shares of United Bancorp during the 4th quarter worth about $479,000. Citadel Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of United Bancorp in the third quarter valued at $151,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in United Bancorp by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 95,346 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,332,000 after acquiring an additional 7,605 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in United Bancorp during the second quarter worth $64,000. 15.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Weiss Ratings raised shares of United Bancorp from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

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. United Bancorp, Inc was founded in 1902 and is headquartered in Martins Ferry, Ohio.