UBS Group (NYSE:UBS) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Still a Buy?

UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS) saw an uptick in trading volume on Monday . 2,281,642 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 7% from the previous session’s volume of 2,127,426 shares.The stock last traded at $32.29 and had previously closed at $34.15.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on UBS. Kepler Capital Markets upgraded UBS Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Morgan Stanley lowered UBS Group from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. BNP Paribas upgraded UBS Group from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. StockNews.com lowered shares of UBS Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded UBS Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, UBS Group currently has an average rating of “Hold”.

UBS Group Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.76, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.05. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $33.50 and a 200 day moving average of $32.02. The company has a market capitalization of $100.60 billion, a PE ratio of 20.64 and a beta of 1.15.

UBS Group (NYSE:UBS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $0.23 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.31 by ($0.08). UBS Group had a net margin of 6.93% and a return on equity of 5.93%. The business had revenue of $11.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.90 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($0.09) EPS. UBS Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that UBS Group AG will post 1.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UBS Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared an annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 16th. This represents a yield of 2.1%. This is an increase from UBS Group’s previous annual dividend of $0.23. UBS Group’s payout ratio is currently 19.08%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UBS Group

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UBS. Brucke Financial Inc. purchased a new position in UBS Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $617,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its position 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 valued at $53,910,000 after purchasing an additional 14,817 shares during the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP raised its stake in shares of UBS Group by 20.8% in the fourth quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 68,105 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,065,000 after acquiring an additional 11,749 shares during the period. Vise Technologies Inc. lifted its stake in UBS Group by 16.5% in the fourth quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 54,234 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,644,000 after purchasing an additional 7,690 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Inspire Trust Co. N.A. boosted its holdings in UBS Group by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. now owns 108,000 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $3,275,000 after acquiring an additional 3,583 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.