American Century Companies Inc. Grows Stock Position in ING Groep (NYSE:ING)

American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in ING Groep (NYSE:ING) by 4.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,240,735 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 55,257 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc.’s holdings in ING Groep were worth $19,442,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of ING Groep in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its position in shares of ING Groep by 184.8% in the fourth quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,860 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 1,207 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc purchased a new position in ING Groep in the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its position in shares of ING Groep by 25.1% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 3,095 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 621 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in ING Groep during the 4th quarter valued at $55,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 4.49% of the company’s stock.

ING Groep Stock Performance

ING Groep stock opened at $19.83 on Monday. ING Groep has a 52 week low of $15.09 and a 52 week high of $20.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89. The stock has a market cap of $69.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.42 and a beta of 1.44. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $18.09 and a 200-day moving average of $17.05.

ING Groep (NYSE:ING) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The financial services provider reported $0.39 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.41 by ($0.02). ING Groep had a net margin of 28.30% and a return on equity of 11.81%. On average, analysts expect that ING Groep will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ING Groep Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Friday, April 25th will be issued a $0.6526 dividend. This is a positive change from ING Groep’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.17. This represents a yield of 5.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 25th. ING Groep’s payout ratio is currently 60.75%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of ING Groep from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

ING Groep Company Profile

ING Groep N.V. provides various banking products and services in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, rest of Europe, and internationally. It operates through five segments: Retail Netherlands, Retail Belgium, Retail Germany, Retail Other, and Wholesale Banking. The company accepts current and savings accounts.