ING Groep (NYSE:ING) Short Interest Down 34.8% in February

ING Groep (NYSE:ING) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 1,910,000 shares, a decrease of 34.8% from the February 13th total of 2,930,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,860,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.7 days. Approximately 0.1% of the company’s stock are sold short.

ING Groep Stock Up 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE ING traded up $0.01 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $20.27. The company had a trading volume of 2,101,262 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,260,195. The company has a market capitalization of $70.89 billion, a PE ratio of 9.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.42 and a beta of 1.44. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $17.26 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $16.89. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89. ING Groep has a one year low of $15.09 and a one year high of $20.79.

ING Groep (NYSE:ING) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 11.81% and a net margin of 28.30%. On average, equities analysts expect that ING Groep will post 2.14 EPS for the current year.

ING Groep Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 23rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 13th were given a $0.1667 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, January 13th. This represents a dividend yield of 6.4%. ING Groep’s payout ratio is 29.91%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Morgan Stanley cut ING Groep from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ING. Zions Bancorporation N.A. grew its stake in shares of ING Groep by 42.2% in the third quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 52,427 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $952,000 after purchasing an additional 15,547 shares during the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in ING Groep by 6.2% during the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 22,672 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $412,000 after acquiring an additional 1,314 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its holdings in ING Groep by 71.3% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 3,306,798 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $60,051,000 after acquiring an additional 1,376,713 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans acquired a new stake in ING Groep during the 3rd quarter worth about $215,000. Finally, Caprock Group LLC grew its holdings in ING Groep by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 97,105 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,763,000 after acquiring an additional 4,519 shares during the period. 4.49% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About ING Groep

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.