Prudential PLC Sells 8,831 Shares of UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS)

Prudential PLC lowered its position in UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS) by 3.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 284,762 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 8,831 shares during the period. Prudential PLC’s holdings in UBS Group were worth $8,700,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Timber Creek Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of UBS Group by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Timber Creek Capital Management LLC now owns 117,613 shares of the bank’s stock worth $3,566,000 after buying an additional 311 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in shares of UBS Group by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 5,528 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $168,000 after acquiring an additional 334 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance increased its stake in shares of UBS Group by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 85,975 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,607,000 after purchasing an additional 339 shares in the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC raised its holdings in UBS Group by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 11,247 shares of the bank’s stock worth $341,000 after purchasing an additional 345 shares during the period. Finally, HighPoint Advisor Group LLC lifted its position in UBS Group by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 7,633 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $253,000 after purchasing an additional 349 shares in the last quarter.

UBS Group Price Performance

UBS stock opened at $26.71 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $85.64 billion, a PE ratio of 17.57 and a beta of 1.16. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $33.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $32.23. UBS Group AG has a one year low of $26.01 and a one year high of $35.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.76, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.06.

UBS Group (NYSE:UBS) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $11.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.90 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned ($0.09) EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that UBS Group AG will post 1.9 EPS 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. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 16th will be paid a $0.90 dividend. This is an increase from UBS Group’s previous annual dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 16th. This represents a yield of 2.1%. UBS Group’s payout ratio is presently 14.47%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on UBS shares. Bank of America downgraded UBS Group from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of UBS Group from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Kepler Capital Markets raised shares of UBS Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of UBS Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, StockNews.com cut UBS Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold”.

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.