UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 12,370,000 shares, an increase of 52.5% from the February 13th total of 8,110,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 3,000,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.1 days. Approximately 0.4% of the company’s stock are sold short.

UBS Group Stock Performance

UBS Group stock traded up $1.08 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $32.79. 7,312,510 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,165,858. UBS Group has a 52 week low of $26.01 and a 52 week high of $35.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.76, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.06. The firm has a market cap of $105.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.57 and a beta of 1.15. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $33.59 and its 200 day simple moving average is $32.04.

UBS Group (NYSE:UBS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $0.23 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by ($0.08). UBS Group had a return on equity of 5.93% and a net margin of 6.93%. The business had revenue of $11.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.90 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted ($0.09) EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that UBS Group will post 1.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UBS Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.90 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 16th. This is a boost from UBS Group’s previous annual dividend of $0.23. UBS Group’s payout ratio is currently 19.08%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on UBS. BNP Paribas raised UBS Group from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Kepler Capital Markets raised UBS Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. StockNews.com downgraded UBS Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised UBS Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley downgraded UBS Group from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, UBS Group currently has an average rating of “Hold”.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UBS Group

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Berbice Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UBS Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of UBS Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UBS Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new stake in shares of UBS Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UBS Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000.

About UBS Group

UBS Group AG provides financial advice and solutions to private, institutional, and corporate clients worldwide. It operates through five divisions: Global Wealth Management, Personal & Corporate Banking, Asset Management, Investment Bank, and Non-core and Legacy. The company offers investment advice, estate and wealth planning, investing, corporate and banking, and investment management, as well as mortgage, securities-based, and structured lending solutions.