United Security Bancshares (NASDAQ:UBFO) Short Interest Down 62.5% in July

United Security Bancshares (NASDAQ:UBFO) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest during the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 9,700 shares, a decrease of 62.5% from the July 15th total of 25,900 shares. Currently, 0.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 28,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.3 days.

United Security Bancshares Price Performance

UBFO stock traded up $0.03 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $7.68. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 10,670 shares, compared to its average volume of 20,269. The stock has a market cap of $133.02 million, a PE ratio of 7.38 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. United Security Bancshares has a fifty-two week low of $6.78 and a fifty-two week high of $8.74. The company’s 50 day moving average is $7.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $7.45.

United Security Bancshares (NASDAQ:UBFO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 18th. The financial services provider reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $13.04 million during the quarter. United Security Bancshares had a net margin of 26.73% and a return on equity of 14.48%.

United Security Bancshares Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 23rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 8th were issued a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, July 8th. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.25%. United Security Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Jagroop Gill purchased 140,384 shares of United Security Bancshares stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 24th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $7.96 per share, for a total transaction of $1,117,456.64. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,220,051 shares in the company, valued at $9,711,605.96. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders purchased a total of 158,868 shares of company stock worth $1,251,773 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 20.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of United Security Bancshares

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Security Bancshares during the 1st quarter worth approximately $108,000. Salzhauer Michael boosted its position in shares of United Security Bancshares by 6.7% during the 1st quarter. Salzhauer Michael now owns 27,071 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $209,000 after purchasing an additional 1,700 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in shares of United Security Bancshares by 7.8% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 43,549 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $336,000 after purchasing an additional 3,150 shares during the period. Private Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of United Security Bancshares by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Private Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 81,811 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $591,000 after purchasing an additional 1,299 shares during the period. Finally, Kennedy Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of United Security Bancshares by 33.6% during the 1st quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 78,141 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $602,000 after purchasing an additional 19,658 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 30.88% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of United Security Bancshares in a report on Saturday. They issued a “hold” rating for the company.

United Security Bancshares Company Profile

United Security Bancshares operates as the bank holding company for United Security Bank, a state-chartered bank that provides a range of commercial banking services to the business and professional community, and individuals in California. The company accepts various deposit products, including personal and business checking accounts, savings accounts, interest-bearing negotiable order of withdrawal accounts, money market accounts, and time certificates of deposit.