United Bankshares (NASDAQ:UBSI) Cut to “Sell” at StockNews.com

United Bankshares (NASDAQ:UBSI) was downgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued on Friday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on UBSI. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of United Bankshares from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. DA Davidson raised their target price on shares of United Bankshares from $36.00 to $41.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Stephens upped their price target on shares of United Bankshares from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $40.25.

United Bankshares Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:UBSI opened at $37.09 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $37.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $35.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.16 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. United Bankshares has a 52 week low of $27.21 and a 52 week high of $39.93.

United Bankshares (NASDAQ:UBSI) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $414.67 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $260.30 million. United Bankshares had a return on equity of 7.72% and a net margin of 22.44%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.71 EPS. Analysts anticipate that United Bankshares will post 2.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Bankshares

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in UBSI. Inspire Investing LLC lifted its stake in United Bankshares by 2.7% during the third quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 11,095 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $412,000 after purchasing an additional 291 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its position in United Bankshares by 5.6% in the second quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 6,587 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $214,000 after buying an additional 350 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Bankshares by 4.0% in the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 12,367 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $401,000 after buying an additional 479 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of United Bankshares by 34.6% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,079 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $77,000 after acquiring an additional 534 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in shares of United Bankshares by 237.6% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 844 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 594 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.80% of the company’s stock.

United Bankshares Company Profile

United Bankshares, Inc, through its subsidiaries, primarily provides commercial and retail banking products and services in the United States. It operates through two segments, Community Banking and Mortgage Banking. The company accepts checking, savings, and time and money market accounts; individual retirement accounts; and demand deposits, statement and special savings, and NOW accounts.