UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company.

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of UBS Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. StockNews.com cut UBS Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Kepler Capital Markets raised UBS Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised UBS Group from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd.

UBS Group Stock Performance

NYSE:UBS opened at $33.61 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $107.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.11 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.76. UBS Group has a 52 week low of $26.00 and a 52 week high of $35.84. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $32.54 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $31.42.

UBS Group (NYSE:UBS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $0.23 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $11.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.90 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted ($0.09) earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that UBS Group will post 1.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UBS Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 16th will be paid a $0.90 dividend. This represents a yield of 2.1%. This is a boost from UBS Group’s previous annual dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 16th. UBS Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 15.13%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UBS Group

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of UBS. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in UBS Group by 226.8% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 27,928 shares of the bank’s stock worth $825,000 after acquiring an additional 19,382 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in UBS Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $724,000. Atomi Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of UBS Group by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 29,587 shares of the bank’s stock worth $915,000 after acquiring an additional 1,706 shares during the period. Wedmont Private Capital boosted its position in shares of UBS Group by 10.6% in the third quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 9,173 shares of the bank’s stock worth $287,000 after acquiring an additional 879 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC grew its holdings in UBS Group by 19.5% in the third quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 3,995 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $123,000 after purchasing an additional 652 shares during the period.

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.