United Security Bancshares (NASDAQ:UBFO) Short Interest Up 69.9% in September

United Security Bancshares (NASDAQ:UBFO) saw a significant growth in short interest in the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 19,200 shares, a growth of 69.9% from the August 31st total of 11,300 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 31,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.6 days. Currently, 0.2% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Insider Activity at United Security Bancshares

In other United Security Bancshares news, Director Jagroop Gill purchased 140,384 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 24th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $7.96 per share, for a total transaction of $1,117,456.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,220,051 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,711,605.96. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 20.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of United Security Bancshares

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Private Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in 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. Kennedy Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of United Security Bancshares by 33.6% in 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. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of United Security Bancshares by 2.7% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 558,965 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,310,000 after purchasing an additional 14,472 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Security Bancshares by 7.8% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 43,549 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $336,000 after purchasing an additional 3,150 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Salzhauer Michael increased its holdings in United Security Bancshares by 6.7% during the first quarter. Salzhauer Michael now owns 27,071 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $209,000 after buying an additional 1,700 shares during the period. 30.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of United Security Bancshares in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock.

United Security Bancshares Price Performance

UBFO stock traded up $0.09 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $8.64. The company had a trading volume of 24,396 shares, compared to its average volume of 19,438. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $8.08 and a 200 day moving average price of $7.60. United Security Bancshares has a 12-month low of $6.82 and a 12-month high of $8.94. The company has a market capitalization of $149.64 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.31 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

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

United Security Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, October 7th will be given a $0.12 dividend. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.56%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, October 7th. United Security Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.15%.

About United Security Bancshares

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.