UBS Group (NYSE:UBS) Sees Large Volume Increase – Time to Buy?

UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS) saw unusually-high trading volume on Tuesday . Approximately 12,216,733 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 494% from the previous session’s volume of 2,055,685 shares.The stock last traded at $33.86 and had previously closed at $33.47.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on UBS shares. StockNews.com cut UBS Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. BNP Paribas raised shares of UBS Group from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of UBS Group from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of UBS Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Kepler Capital Markets upgraded shares of UBS Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, UBS Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

UBS Group Trading Up 1.2 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.76, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.06. The company has a market capitalization of $108.55 billion, a PE ratio of 22.27 and a beta of 1.16. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $32.82 and a 200 day moving average of $31.76.

UBS Group (NYSE:UBS) last issued 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). The company had revenue of $11.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.90 billion. UBS Group had a return on equity of 5.93% and a net margin of 6.93%. UBS Group’s revenue was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.09) EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that UBS Group AG will post 1.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UBS Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 positive change 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%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UBS Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its holdings in shares of UBS Group by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 1,778,047 shares of the bank’s stock worth $53,910,000 after acquiring an additional 14,817 shares in the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP raised its stake in UBS Group by 20.8% during the fourth quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 68,105 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,065,000 after purchasing an additional 11,749 shares in the last quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. raised its stake in UBS Group by 16.5% during the fourth quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 54,234 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,644,000 after purchasing an additional 7,690 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. lifted its position in UBS Group by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. now owns 108,000 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $3,275,000 after purchasing an additional 3,583 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Continuum Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of UBS Group by 31.1% in the 4th quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 2,009 shares of the bank’s stock worth $61,000 after buying an additional 477 shares during the last quarter.

UBS Group Company Profile

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.