UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS) Shares Acquired by Cerity Partners LLC

Cerity Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS) by 47.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 75,684 shares of the bank’s stock after acquiring an additional 24,409 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in UBS Group were worth $2,339,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of UBS. Value Partners Investments Inc. raised its position in shares of UBS Group by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. now owns 323,494 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $9,996,000 after purchasing an additional 20,613 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in UBS Group by 1,630.2% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 172,886 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $5,595,000 after acquiring an additional 162,894 shares in the last quarter. Equitable Trust Co. bought a new position in UBS Group during the 4th quarter valued at $2,380,000. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in UBS Group during the 4th quarter worth $213,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP increased its position in shares of UBS Group by 8.7% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 4,514 shares of the bank’s stock worth $139,000 after purchasing an additional 361 shares during the last quarter.

UBS Group Price Performance

UBS Group stock opened at $28.12 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.23, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.10. UBS Group AG has a 1 year low of $18.71 and a 1 year high of $32.13. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $29.63 and its 200-day moving average is $28.13.

UBS Group (NYSE:UBS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The bank reported ($0.09) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.09 by ($0.18). The business had revenue of $10.86 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.06 billion. UBS Group had a return on equity of 7.56% and a net margin of 43.70%. The business’s revenue was up 35.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.50 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that UBS Group AG will post 1.11 earnings per share for the current year.

UBS Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, May 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.228 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 1st. This represents a yield of 0.82%. This is a positive change from UBS Group’s previous annual dividend of $0.18. UBS Group’s payout ratio is currently 2.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised shares of UBS Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 8th. Societe Generale raised UBS Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded UBS Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, UBS Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

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.