United Bankshares has increased dividends for more than 40 years. Photo courtesy United Bankshares website.
About United Bankshares, Inc.
United Bankshares, Inc. is a bank holding company with headquarters in Washington, DC and Charleston, WV and over 130 banking offices across Virginia, West Virginia, Washington DC, Maryland, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The company’s history goes back to 1839 when the Northwestern Bank of Virginia opened a branch in Parkersburg, in the western part of Virginia (now West Virginia). In 1869, the bank branch became the Parkersburg National Bank, predecessor to United Bankshares.
The company has assets of more than $12 billion, is the largest independent banking franchise in the Northern Virginia and DC markets, and is one of the 50 largest banks in the United States.
United Bankshares is a member of the S&P Small Cap 600 index and S&P’s High Yield Dividend Aristocrats index, and trades under the ticker symbol UBSI.
United Bankshares’ Dividend and Stock Split History
United Bankshares has increased dividends since 1974. While the company had previously increased dividends once a year, since 2007 United Bankshares has increased dividends in the 4th quarter of every other year – announcing them in November with the stock going ex-dividend in mid-December.
The company has compounded its payout at an average rate of 1.4% over the last 5 years and 1.6% over the last 10 years.
United Bankshares has split its stock twice 2-for-1 since beginning its record of dividend growth in 1977. The most recent split was in March 1998. Prior to that, the company split the stock in January 1988. For each share of UBSI stock that you owned in the early 1980s, you would now have 4 shares of stock.
United Bankshares’ Direct Purchase and Dividend Reinvestment Plans
United Bankshares has both direct purchase and dividend reinvestment plans. You do need to be an existing shareholder to participate in both plans. The fee structure is very favorable for investors, with no initial setup fee and no fees on any purchases, either through direct purchase or dividend reinvestment. The minimum direct purchase amount is $25.
There are fees when selling shares. Specifically, you’ll pay a commission of $15 plus a transaction fee of 12 cents per share. All the fees will be deducted from the proceeds of the sale of the shares.
Helpful Links
United Bankshares’ Investor Relations Website
Current quote and financial summary for United Bankshares, Inc. (finviz.com)
Information on the direct purchase and dividend reinvestment plans for UBSI