Hovde Group Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for USCB Financial (NASDAQ:USCB) Stock

USCB Financial (NASDAQ:USCB) had its price target increased by equities research analysts at Hovde Group from $19.50 to $20.00 in a note issued to investors on Monday, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm currently has a “market perform” rating on the stock. Hovde Group’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 5.26% from the stock’s previous close.

USCB has been the subject of a number of other reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of USCB Financial in a report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of USCB Financial from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of USCB Financial from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $21.50.

USCB Financial Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of NASDAQ USCB traded down $0.12 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $19.00. 1,124 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 46,230. The company has a market capitalization of $346.94 million, a P/E ratio of 13.29 and a beta of 0.60. USCB Financial has a 52-week low of $15.56 and a 52-week high of $20.78. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $19.04 and a 200-day moving average price of $18.65.

USCB Financial (NASDAQ:USCB) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The company reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $26.18 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.95 million. USCB Financial had a return on equity of 15.44% and a net margin of 17.04%. Equities research analysts expect that USCB Financial will post 2.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at USCB Financial

In other USCB Financial news, EVP Andres Collazo sold 8,000 shares of USCB Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Saturday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.27, for a total transaction of $146,160.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 32,950 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $601,996.50. The trade was a 19.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO La Aguilera Luis De sold 10,000 shares of USCB Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.02, for a total transaction of $180,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 245,893 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,430,991.86. This trade represents a 3.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 49.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of USCB. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in USCB Financial by 1.7% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 248,716 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,114,000 after buying an additional 4,242 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its position in USCB Financial by 25.9% during the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 32,875 shares of the company’s stock valued at $546,000 after buying an additional 6,770 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP acquired a new position in USCB Financial during the second quarter valued at approximately $212,000. Gabelli Funds LLC acquired a new position in shares of USCB Financial during the second quarter worth $563,000. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its position in shares of USCB Financial by 9.0% during the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 973,088 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,095,000 after purchasing an additional 79,983 shares in the last quarter. 61.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

USCB Financial Company Profile

USCB Financial (NASDAQ: USCB) is a bank holding company headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina, serving as the parent company of United Security Bank. Established to support community banking in the Midlands region, the company focuses on relationship-driven financial services tailored to both individuals and businesses. As a regional player, USCB Financial emphasizes personalized service through a network of full-service branch offices.

The company’s core business activities include commercial and consumer lending, deposit products and alternative delivery channels.