Guardian Partners Inc. Purchases Shares of 743,344 ING Groep (NYSE:ING)

Guardian Partners Inc. acquired a new position in ING Groep (NYSE:ING - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 743,344 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $11,730,000. ING Groep accounts for about 1.2% of Guardian Partners Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of ING Groep by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 68,451,083 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,243,072,000 after purchasing an additional 429,562 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in ING Groep by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 3,381,569 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $52,989,000 after buying an additional 74,771 shares during the period. Todd Asset Management LLC boosted its position in ING Groep by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Todd Asset Management LLC now owns 2,771,941 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $43,436,000 after acquiring an additional 42,851 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of ING Groep by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,240,735 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $19,442,000 after acquiring an additional 55,257 shares during the period. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of ING Groep by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 963,306 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $15,095,000 after acquiring an additional 15,118 shares in the last quarter. 4.49% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Remove Ads

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

ING Groep Stock Up 0.1 %

NYSE:ING traded up $0.03 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $20.09. 2,379,065 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,265,079. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.26 billion, a PE ratio of 9.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.42 and a beta of 1.44. ING Groep has a 12-month low of $15.09 and a 12-month high of $20.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.13. The business has a 50-day moving average of $18.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $17.04.

ING Groep (NYSE:ING - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The financial services provider reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.41 by ($0.02). ING Groep had a return on equity of 11.81% and a net margin of 28.30%. On average, equities analysts forecast that ING Groep will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ING Groep Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 25th will be paid a $0.6526 dividend. 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. This represents a yield of 5.1%. ING Groep's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.91%.

ING Groep 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.