UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS) Short Interest Update

UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 12,370,000 shares, an increase of 52.5% from the February 13th total of 8,110,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 3,000,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.1 days. Approximately 0.4% of the shares of the company are sold short.

UBS Group Price Performance

Shares of UBS Group stock traded up $0.72 on Monday, reaching $33.45. 2,315,829 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,166,435. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.76, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.06. The firm has a market cap of $107.24 billion, a PE ratio of 22.00 and a beta of 1.15. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $33.59 and its 200-day moving average is $32.04. UBS Group has a one year low of $26.01 and a one year high of $35.84.

UBS Group (NYSE:UBS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $0.23 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $11.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.90 billion. UBS Group had a return on equity of 5.93% and a net margin of 6.93%. UBS Group’s quarterly revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($0.09) EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that UBS Group will post 1.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UBS Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced an annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date 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 19.08%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UBS Group

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Berbice Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of UBS Group during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new position in UBS Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in UBS Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new stake in UBS Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of UBS Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000.

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.