Norges Bank Invests $5.59 Billion in UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS)

Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 183,111,351 shares of the bank's stock, valued at approximately $5,594,066,000. UBS Group comprises 0.7% of Norges Bank's investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Norges Bank owned 5.71% of UBS Group as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in UBS. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in UBS Group by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 106,019 shares of the bank's stock valued at $3,277,000 after buying an additional 1,114 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its position in UBS Group by 16.6% during the fourth quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 206,803 shares of the bank's stock valued at $6,270,000 after acquiring an additional 29,367 shares during the last quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of UBS Group in the 4th quarter worth about $218,000. M.E. Allison & CO. Inc. purchased a new position in shares of UBS Group during the 4th quarter worth about $354,000. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its holdings in UBS Group by 21.7% during the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 37,205 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,128,000 after purchasing an additional 6,638 shares during the last quarter.

UBS Group Trading Down 1.1 %

UBS traded down $0.35 during trading on Friday, hitting $31.56. 3,489,622 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,187,196. UBS Group AG has a 1 year low of $26.01 and a 1 year high of $35.84. The firm has a market cap of $101.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.76 and a beta of 1.15. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $33.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $32.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.76, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.06.

Remove Ads

UBS Group (NYSE:UBS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $0.23 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.31 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $11.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.90 billion. UBS Group had a net margin of 6.93% and a return on equity of 5.93%. The business's revenue was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.09) earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that UBS Group AG will post 1.9 EPS for the current year.

UBS Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.90 per share. This represents a yield of 2.1%. This is a positive change from UBS Group's previous annual dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 16th. UBS Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.47%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on UBS. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded UBS Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley cut UBS Group from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Kepler Capital Markets upgraded UBS Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. StockNews.com lowered shares of UBS Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Bank of America downgraded shares of UBS Group from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research note on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold".

About UBS Group

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.