Capitolis Liquid Global Markets LLC Buys Shares of 179,500 United Community Banks, Inc. $UCB

Capitolis Liquid Global Markets LLC bought a new stake in United Community Banks, Inc. (NYSE:UCB) during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 179,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,627,000.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Community Banks during the second quarter worth $25,000. First Horizon Corp acquired a new position in United Community Banks in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new position in United Community Banks in the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in United Community Banks by 130.9% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,951 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 1,106 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in United Community Banks during the 1st quarter worth $67,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at United Community Banks

In other United Community Banks news, CAO Alan H. Kumler sold 12,043 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.36, for a total value of $425,840.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 21,096 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $745,954.56. This trade represents a 36.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on UCB. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of United Community Banks from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Hovde Group cut shares of United Community Banks from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $38.00 price target for the company. in a report on Monday, February 9th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of United Community Banks from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Zacks Research raised United Community Banks from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Stephens boosted their target price on United Community Banks from $37.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $38.00.

United Community Banks Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UCB opened at $29.97 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. United Community Banks, Inc. has a one year low of $22.93 and a one year high of $36.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.48 and a beta of 0.84. The company’s fifty day moving average is $33.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is $32.09.

United Community Banks (NYSE:UCB) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 14th. The company reported $0.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by ($0.02). United Community Banks had a net margin of 21.35% and a return on equity of 9.49%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.61 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year.

United Community Banks announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Monday, December 8th that permits the company to repurchase $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 2.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

United Community Banks Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. United Community Banks’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.31%.

United Community Banks Profile

United Community Banks, Inc (NYSE: UCB) is a bank holding company headquartered in Blairsville, Georgia. It operates primarily through its subsidiary, United Community Bank, providing a broad range of banking and financial services to individual, business and governmental customers. The company’s core offerings include deposit accounts, commercial and consumer lending, mortgage origination, treasury and cash management services, and wealth management.

In addition to traditional banking products such as checking, savings and money market accounts, United Community Bank specializes in commercial real estate financing, small business administration (SBA) loans, equipment financing and agricultural lending.