KB Financial Group (NYSE:KB) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

KB Financial Group (NYSE:KB - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday.

Separately, Morgan Stanley upgraded KB Financial Group from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th.

KB Financial Group Trading Down 1.4 %

NYSE KB traded down $0.74 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $51.57. The company's stock had a trading volume of 310,604 shares, compared to its average volume of 188,780. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.29, a current ratio of 1.66 and a quick ratio of 1.66. KB Financial Group has a 52-week low of $45.59 and a 52-week high of $72.89. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $56.56 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $61.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 0.99.

KB Financial Group (NYSE:KB - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, March 5th. The bank reported $1.21 EPS for the quarter. KB Financial Group had a net margin of 12.33% and a return on equity of 7.71%. The business had revenue of $2.94 billion for the quarter. Research analysts expect that KB Financial Group will post 8.87 EPS for the current year.

Remove Ads

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KB Financial Group

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in shares of KB Financial Group by 310.0% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 912,529 shares of the bank's stock worth $51,923,000 after acquiring an additional 689,979 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. raised its position in shares of KB Financial Group by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 815,893 shares of the bank's stock valued at $46,424,000 after purchasing an additional 36,394 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in shares of KB Financial Group by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 613,203 shares of the bank's stock worth $34,891,000 after buying an additional 28,627 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors grew its position in shares of KB Financial Group by 7.2% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 512,752 shares of the bank's stock worth $29,194,000 after buying an additional 34,585 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky raised its holdings in KB Financial Group by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 447,400 shares of the bank's stock valued at $25,457,000 after acquiring an additional 20,970 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 11.52% of the company's stock.

About KB Financial Group

KB Financial Group Inc provides a range of banking and related financial services to consumers and corporations in South Korea, the United States, New Zealand, China, Cambodia, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, and internationally. The company operates through Retail Banking, Corporate Banking, Other Banking Services, Credit Card, Securities, Life Insurance, and Non-Life Insurance segments.