UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the six analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company.

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. BNP Paribas upgraded UBS Group from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley downgraded UBS Group from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Kepler Capital Markets upgraded UBS Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded UBS Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded UBS Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UBS Group

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Berbice Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of UBS Group during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new position in UBS Group in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in UBS Group in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Versant Capital Management Inc bought a new position in UBS Group in the fourth quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new position in UBS Group in the fourth quarter worth about $41,000.

UBS Group Stock Up 2.8 %

Shares of NYSE UBS opened at $34.26 on Monday. UBS Group has a 12-month low of $26.01 and a 12-month high of $35.84. The company has a market cap of $109.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.54 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.76. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $33.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $31.96.

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

UBS Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared an annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 16th will be given a dividend of $0.90 per share. This is a boost from UBS Group’s previous annual dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 16th. This represents a dividend yield of 2.1%. UBS Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.08%.

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.