KBC Group SA (OTCMKTS:KBCSY) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

KBC Group SA (OTCMKTS:KBCSY) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 348 shares, a drop of 59.3% from the December 31st total of 856 shares. Approximately 0.0% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 41,137 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.0 days. Based on an average trading volume of 41,137 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.0 days. Approximately 0.0% of the company’s stock are sold short.

KBC Group Trading Up 0.1%

KBC Group stock traded up $0.04 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $70.74. The company had a trading volume of 9,971 shares, compared to its average volume of 18,972. The company has a market capitalization of $59.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.54. The company’s fifty day moving average is $65.14 and its 200-day moving average is $60.60. KBC Group has a 12-month low of $37.25 and a 12-month high of $71.78.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KBCSY has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Barclays downgraded shares of KBC Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating on shares of KBC Group in a research report on Monday, November 17th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of KBC Group in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of KBC Group in a report on Monday, November 24th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered KBC Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus 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.