United Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBCP) Short Interest Up 24.3% in February

United Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBCP) saw a significant growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 9,200 shares, a growth of 24.3% from the January 31st total of 7,400 shares. Approximately 0.2% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 6,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.4 days.

United Bancorp Stock Up 2.7 %

Shares of UBCP traded up $0.36 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $13.61. The stock had a trading volume of 2,782 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,736. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $13.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $12.92. United Bancorp has a 12 month low of $11.40 and a 12 month high of $15.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51. The company has a market capitalization of $78.76 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.71 and a beta of 0.40.

United Bancorp (NASDAQ:UBCP) last posted its earnings results on Friday, February 7th. The financial services provider reported $0.31 EPS for the quarter. United Bancorp had a net margin of 16.83% and a return on equity of 11.73%.

United Bancorp Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 20th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.1825 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $0.73 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.37%. This is an increase from United Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. United Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is 57.48%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Bancorp

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of UBCP. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of United Bancorp by 40.2% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 25,314 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $329,000 after purchasing an additional 7,264 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of United Bancorp by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 40,956 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $528,000 after buying an additional 2,125 shares in the last quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Bancorp by 11.0% in the 4th quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC now owns 36,642 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $476,000 after buying an additional 3,633 shares during the last quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. grew its holdings in shares of United Bancorp by 52.9% in the fourth quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 42,055 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $547,000 after acquiring an additional 14,550 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tallon Kerry Patrick bought a new position in shares of United Bancorp in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $584,000. 15.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About United Bancorp

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.