Bank of Montreal Can Boosts Position in ING Groep (NYSE:ING)

Bank of Montreal Can lifted its position in shares of ING Groep (NYSE:ING - Free Report) by 6.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 487,778 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 28,837 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can's holdings in ING Groep were worth $7,643,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Roxbury Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of ING Groep during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its position in ING Groep by 184.8% during the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,860 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 1,207 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc bought a new position in ING Groep during the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. IFP Advisors Inc raised its holdings in ING Groep by 25.1% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 3,095 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 621 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of ING Groep in the 4th quarter worth approximately $55,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 4.49% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded ING Groep from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, ING Groep presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

ING Groep Price Performance

Shares of ING Groep stock traded up $0.09 during trading on Friday, hitting $18.65. The stock had a trading volume of 2,215,257 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,322,568. The firm has a market cap of $65.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.71, a P/E/G ratio of 6.42 and a beta of 1.07. ING Groep has a 12 month low of $15.09 and a 12 month high of $20.79. The business's 50-day moving average is $18.61 and its 200 day moving average is $17.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89.

ING Groep (NYSE:ING - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The financial services provider reported $0.39 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.41 by ($0.02). ING Groep had a net margin of 28.30% and a return on equity of 11.81%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that ING Groep will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current year.

ING Groep Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Friday, April 25th will be given a $0.6526 dividend. This represents a yield of 5.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 25th. This is a boost from ING Groep's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.17. ING Groep's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.75%.

ING Groep Company Profile

ING Groep N.V. provides various banking products and services in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, rest of Europe, and internationally. It operates through five segments: Retail Netherlands, Retail Belgium, Retail Germany, Retail Other, and Wholesale Banking. The company accepts current and savings accounts.