8,423,761 Shares in UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS) Bought by Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations

Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations acquired a new position in shares of UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 8,423,761 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $233,591,000. UBS Group comprises approximately 11.4% of Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations’ investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich lifted its holdings in shares of UBS Group by 609.6% during the 4th quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 4,375,839 shares of the bank’s stock worth $133,890,000 after acquiring an additional 3,759,134 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in UBS Group by 6.1% in the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 57,349,524 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,771,713,000 after purchasing an additional 3,289,387 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of UBS Group by 422.4% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 4,036,921 shares of the bank’s stock worth $122,399,000 after purchasing an additional 3,264,214 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in UBS Group by 20.2% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 13,708,623 shares of the bank’s stock worth $423,504,000 after purchasing an additional 2,307,033 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of UBS Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $69,440,000.

UBS Group Stock Performance

Shares of UBS Group stock opened at $33.22 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $33.73 and its 200-day moving average is $32.21. UBS Group AG has a one year low of $26.01 and a one year high of $35.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.76, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.05. The firm has a market cap of $106.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.85 and a beta of 1.15.

UBS Group (NYSE:UBS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $0.23 earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $11.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.90 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned ($0.09) EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that UBS Group AG will post 1.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UBS Group Increases Dividend

The business 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 16th. This represents a dividend yield of 2.1%. This is a positive change from UBS Group’s previous annual dividend of $0.23. UBS Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.47%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

UBS Group Company Profile

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.