ING Groep (NYSE:ING) Stock Holdings Raised by Townsquare Capital LLC

Townsquare Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of ING Groep (NYSE:ING) by 17.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 79,904 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,766 shares during the period. Townsquare Capital LLC’s holdings in ING Groep were worth $1,252,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ING. Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of ING Groep in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Brooklyn Investment Group raised its holdings in shares of ING Groep by 184.8% during the fourth quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,860 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 1,207 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc bought a new position in shares of ING Groep in the 4th quarter worth about $45,000. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in shares of ING Groep by 25.1% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 3,095 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 621 shares during the period. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of ING Groep during the 4th quarter valued at about $55,000. 4.49% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded ING Groep from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

ING Groep Stock Up 0.5 %

ING stock opened at $18.65 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $18.61 and its 200 day simple moving average is $17.06. The stock has a market cap of $65.22 billion, a PE ratio of 8.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.42 and a beta of 1.07. ING Groep has a fifty-two week low of $15.09 and a fifty-two week high of $20.79.

ING Groep (NYSE:ING) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The financial services provider reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.41 by ($0.02). ING Groep had a return on equity of 11.81% and a net margin of 28.30%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that ING Groep will post 2.14 EPS for the current year.

ING Groep Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Friday, April 25th will be given a $0.6526 dividend. This represents a yield of 5.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 25th. This is a positive change from ING Groep’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.17. ING Groep’s dividend payout ratio is currently 60.75%.

About ING Groep

ING Groep N.V. provides various banking products and services in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, rest of Europe, and internationally. It operates through five segments: Retail Netherlands, Retail Belgium, Retail Germany, Retail Other, and Wholesale Banking. The company accepts current and savings accounts.