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

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

United Bancorp Stock Down 2.0 %

UBCP stock traded down $0.26 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $12.51. The stock had a trading volume of 2,138 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,458. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The firm has a market cap of $72.43 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.07 and a beta of 0.40. The business has a 50-day moving average of $13.24 and a two-hundred day moving average of $12.79. United Bancorp has a 52-week low of $11.40 and a 52-week high of $15.50.

United Bancorp (NASDAQ:UBCP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The financial services provider reported $0.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. United Bancorp had a net margin of 18.28% and a return on equity of 12.56%. The company had revenue of $11.16 million during the quarter.

United Bancorp Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 10th were given a $0.18 dividend. This is a boost from United Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.76%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 10th. United Bancorp’s payout ratio is currently 52.17%.

Institutional Trading of United Bancorp

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. Commonwealth Financial Services LLC raised its position in shares of United Bancorp by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth Financial Services LLC now owns 90,209 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,183,000 after purchasing an additional 988 shares during the last quarter. BBR Partners LLC bought a new position in United Bancorp in the 3rd quarter worth about $131,000. Tallon Kerry Patrick purchased a new stake in United Bancorp during the 4th quarter valued at about $584,000. Finally, Wesbanco Bank Inc. increased its stake in United Bancorp by 52.9% during the 4th quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 42,055 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $547,000 after purchasing an additional 14,550 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 15.42% of the company’s stock.

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.