KBC Group NV Increases Holdings in UMB Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UMBF)

KBC Group NV boosted its position in UMB Financial Co. (NASDAQ:UMBF) by 52.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,004 shares of the bank’s stock after buying an additional 690 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in UMB Financial were worth $226,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of UMBF. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UMB Financial during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Covestor Ltd increased its holdings in UMB Financial by 31.0% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 431 shares of the bank’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. USA Financial Formulas raised its position in UMB Financial by 124.7% during the fourth quarter. USA Financial Formulas now owns 483 shares of the bank’s stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 268 shares during the period. Point72 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in UMB Financial during the third quarter valued at $83,000. Finally, Acropolis Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of UMB Financial during the third quarter worth about $156,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.78% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at UMB Financial

In other news, Director Kevin Charles Gallagher sold 527 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.13, for a total transaction of $60,146.51. Following the sale, the director now owns 13,010 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,484,831.30. This represents a 3.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO J Mariner Kemper sold 24,300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.95, for a total value of $3,036,285.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,552,304 shares in the company, valued at approximately $193,960,384.80. The trade was a 1.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 25,681 shares of company stock worth $3,201,798 in the last three months. 8.85% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on UMBF shares. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $127.00 price objective (down from $130.00) on shares of UMB Financial in a research note on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $128.00 target price on shares of UMB Financial in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of UMB Financial from $107.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Barclays boosted their target price on UMB Financial from $123.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on UMB Financial from $142.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $130.14.

UMB Financial Price Performance

Shares of UMBF opened at $114.59 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $118.39 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $110.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.75. UMB Financial Co. has a 1-year low of $76.00 and a 1-year high of $129.94. The stock has a market cap of $5.59 billion, a PE ratio of 12.75 and a beta of 0.82.

UMB Financial (NASDAQ:UMBF) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The bank reported $2.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.25 by $0.24. UMB Financial had a net margin of 15.76% and a return on equity of 13.73%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.29 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that UMB Financial Co. will post 9.51 EPS for the current year.

UMB Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. UMB Financial’s payout ratio is 17.80%.

About UMB Financial

UMB Financial Corporation operates as the bank holding company that provides banking services and asset servicing in the United States and internationally. The Commercial Banking segment provides commercial loans and credit card; commercial real estate financing; letters of credit; loan syndication, and consultative service; various business solutions including asset-based lending, mezzanine debt, and minority equity investment; and treasury management service, such as depository service, account reconciliation, cash management tool, accounts payable and receivable solution, electronic fund transfer and automated payment, controlled disbursement, lockbox service, and remote deposit capture service.