Union Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:UNB) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Union Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:UNB) saw a significant growth in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 35,700 shares, a growth of 183.3% from the December 31st total of 12,600 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 8,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.2 days. Currently, 1.0% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Union Bankshares Stock Up 0.7 %

Union Bankshares stock traded up $0.21 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $31.42. The stock had a trading volume of 429 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,570. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $31.60 and its 200-day moving average price is $28.22. Union Bankshares has a 12-month low of $21.00 and a 12-month high of $37.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $142.04 million, a P/E ratio of 16.04 and a beta of 0.80.

Union Bankshares (NASDAQ:UNB) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 15th. The bank reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Union Bankshares had a return on equity of 13.09% and a net margin of 11.74%.

Union Bankshares Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 6th. Investors of record on Saturday, January 25th will be given a dividend of $0.36 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.58%. Union Bankshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 74.23%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com raised Union Bankshares from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Union Bankshares by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 40,503 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,050,000 after acquiring an additional 1,188 shares during the period. Community Financial Services Group LLC purchased a new position in Union Bankshares during the third quarter valued at $220,000. Cardinal Capital Management grew its holdings in Union Bankshares by 15.1% during the third quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 74,413 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,930,000 after purchasing an additional 9,784 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its holdings in Union Bankshares by 7.7% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 14,032 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $301,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Union Bankshares by 10.4% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 30,924 shares of the bank’s stock worth $664,000 after buying an additional 2,914 shares in the last quarter. 14.84% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Union Bankshares

Union Bankshares, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Union Bank that provides retail, commercial, and municipal banking products and services in northern Vermont and New Hampshire. It offers retail depository services, such as personal checking, savings, money market, IRA/SEP/KEOGH, and health savings accounts, as well as certificates of deposit.