UBS Group (NYSE:UBS) Earns Buy Rating from Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of UBS Group (NYSE:UBS – Get Rating) in a research report released on Thursday morning. The firm issued a buy rating on the bank’s stock.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on the stock. Credit Suisse Group lowered shares of UBS Group from an outperform rating to a neutral rating in a report on Friday, December 9th. TheStreet lowered shares of UBS Group from a b- rating to a c rating in a report on Monday, March 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, UBS Group presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $19.46.

UBS Group Stock Performance

Shares of UBS stock opened at $18.20 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $21.18 and its 200-day moving average price is $18.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.29, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.00. UBS Group has a one year low of $13.80 and a one year high of $22.30. The firm has a market cap of $63.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.13, a P/E/G ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.11.

UBS Group Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 13th will be given a $0.179 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 12th. UBS Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 7.14%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UBS Group

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of UBS. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of UBS Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,182,724,000. Dodge & Cox increased its position in shares of UBS Group by 5.4% in the 2nd quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 153,036,667 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,471,685,000 after purchasing an additional 7,791,825 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in shares of UBS Group by 2,242.0% in the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 5,522,361 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $102,661,000 after purchasing an additional 5,286,562 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new stake in shares of UBS Group in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $81,603,000. Finally, Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC grew its position in shares of UBS Group by 205.3% in the 2nd quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC now owns 4,975,657 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $79,987,000 after buying an additional 3,346,105 shares during the last quarter. 32.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About UBS Group

(Get Rating)

UBS Group AG is a holding company, which engages in the provision of financial management solutions. It operates through the following segments: Global Wealth Management, Personal and Corporate Banking, Asset Management, Investment Bank, and Group Functions. The Global Wealth Management segment advises and offers financial services to wealthy private clients except those served by Wealth Management Americas which include banking and lending, wealth planning, and investment management.