Fmr LLC Boosts Stake in UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS)

Fmr LLC lifted its stake in shares of UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS) by 29.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 55,533,620 shares of the bank’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,609,616 shares during the quarter. Fmr LLC’s holdings in UBS Group were worth $1,695,087,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in UBS. Timber Creek Capital Management LLC lifted its position in UBS Group by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Timber Creek Capital Management LLC now owns 117,613 shares of the bank’s stock worth $3,566,000 after acquiring an additional 311 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in shares of UBS Group by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 5,528 shares of the bank’s stock worth $168,000 after purchasing an additional 334 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance boosted its position in UBS Group by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 85,975 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,607,000 after buying an additional 339 shares during the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its holdings in UBS Group by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 11,247 shares of the bank’s stock worth $341,000 after buying an additional 345 shares during the period. Finally, HighPoint Advisor Group LLC raised its position in UBS Group by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 7,633 shares of the bank’s stock worth $253,000 after buying an additional 349 shares during the last quarter.

UBS Group Stock Down 5.4 %

UBS opened at $26.71 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $33.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $32.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $85.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.57 and a beta of 1.16. UBS Group AG has a fifty-two week low of $25.19 and a fifty-two 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.

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

UBS Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared an annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 16th will be paid a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 16th. This represents a yield of 2.1%. This is a boost from UBS Group’s previous annual dividend of $0.23. UBS Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.47%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. BNP Paribas raised shares of UBS Group from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a 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. Morgan Stanley cut UBS Group from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded UBS Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded UBS Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

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.