ING Groep (NYSE:ING) Short Interest Update

ING Groep (NYSE:ING) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,220,000 shares, a decline of 7.5% from the January 15th total of 2,400,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 2,340,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.9 days. Currently, 0.1% of the company’s stock are sold short.

ING Groep Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of ING Groep stock traded up $0.33 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $17.44. The company had a trading volume of 3,109,595 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,601,997. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.13. ING Groep has a fifty-two week low of $13.56 and a fifty-two week high of $18.72. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $16.10 and its 200-day moving average is $16.71. The company has a market cap of $60.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.14 and a beta of 1.46.

ING Groep (NYSE:ING) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The financial services provider reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 anticipate that ING Groep will post 2.14 EPS for the current year.

ING Groep Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, January 13th were given a dividend of $0.1667 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 6.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, January 13th. ING Groep’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.37%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ING Groep

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ING. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of ING Groep by 71.3% during the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 3,306,798 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $60,051,000 after purchasing an additional 1,376,713 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in ING Groep by 48.2% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 4,161,116 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $65,205,000 after acquiring an additional 1,353,054 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in ING Groep in the fourth quarter worth about $14,375,000. Guardian Partners Inc. acquired a new position in ING Groep in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $11,730,000. Finally, ABC Arbitrage SA bought a new position in shares of ING Groep during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $10,129,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 4.49% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on ING. Morgan Stanley lowered ING Groep from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Barclays downgraded shares of ING Groep from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd.

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.