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

United Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBCP) was the target of a large growth in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 7,800 shares, a growth of 23.8% from the December 15th total of 6,300 shares. Currently, 0.2% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 7,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.0 days.

United Bancorp Price Performance

NASDAQ UBCP traded down $0.02 on Friday, hitting $12.70. The stock had a trading volume of 4,169 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,443. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $13.21 and a 200-day moving average of $12.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. United Bancorp has a 52-week low of $11.40 and a 52-week high of $15.50. The company has a market capitalization of $73.53 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.20 and a beta of 0.40.

United Bancorp Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 10th were given a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 10th. This is an increase from United Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. United Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 52.17%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Bancorp

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wesbanco Bank Inc. raised its holdings in shares of United Bancorp by 52.9% in the 4th 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. Tallon Kerry Patrick bought a new position in shares of United Bancorp in the fourth quarter worth approximately $584,000. BBR Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of United Bancorp in the third quarter worth approximately $131,000. Commonwealth Financial Services LLC raised its stake in United Bancorp by 1.1% in the third quarter. Commonwealth Financial Services LLC now owns 90,209 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,183,000 after purchasing an additional 988 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in United Bancorp by 8.4% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 33,376 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $419,000 after purchasing an additional 2,575 shares during the last quarter. 15.42% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.