Short Interest in KBC Group SA (OTCMKTS:KBCSY) Drops By 79.6%

KBC Group SA (OTCMKTS:KBCSY) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totaling 6,218 shares, a decline of 79.6% from the November 30th total of 30,519 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 36,078 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.2 days. Approximately 0.0% of the shares of the company are sold short. Approximately 0.0% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 36,078 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.2 days.

KBC Group Stock Performance

Shares of OTCMKTS KBCSY traded down $0.07 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $65.69. The company had a trading volume of 19,703 shares, compared to its average volume of 18,332. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $61.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $57.82. The firm has a market cap of $54.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.11, a PEG ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 0.54. KBC Group has a one year low of $36.52 and a one year high of $66.37.

KBC Group (OTCMKTS:KBCSY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 13th. The company reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $3.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.54 billion. KBC Group had a net margin of 15.91% and a return on equity of 13.96%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that KBC Group will post 4.28 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on KBCSY shares. Barclays cut shares of KBC Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Zacks Research lowered KBC Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of KBC Group in a report on Friday, November 14th. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating on shares of KBC Group in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating on shares of KBC Group in a research report on Monday, November 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, KBC Group presently has an average rating of “Hold”.

KBC Group Company Profile

KBC Group is a Belgian bank-insurance group headquartered in Brussels that combines retail and commercial banking with life and non-life insurance, asset management, leasing and related financial services. The company operates an integrated bank-insurance model designed to serve both individual consumers and corporate clients, offering deposit accounts, lending and mortgage products, payment and treasury services, pension and protection insurance, investment solutions and wealth management.

The group’s banking activities include retail and private banking, corporate and commercial banking, and specialized finance such as leasing and factoring.