ING Groep (NYSE:ING) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

ING Groep (NYSE:ING - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,940,000 shares, a growth of 6.5% from the April 30th total of 3,700,000 shares. Currently, 0.1% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 2,910,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.4 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ING Groep

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Gallacher Capital Management LLC lifted its position in ING Groep by 2.8% during the first quarter. Gallacher Capital Management LLC now owns 21,892 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $361,000 after buying an additional 604 shares during the period. Financial Management Professionals Inc. raised its holdings in shares of ING Groep by 67.8% in the 1st quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 1,639 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 662 shares during the period. Claro Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of ING Groep by 5.5% in the 1st quarter. Claro Advisors LLC now owns 13,438 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $222,000 after purchasing an additional 696 shares during the period. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of ING Groep by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,992 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $195,000 after purchasing an additional 725 shares during the period. Finally, Checchi Capital Advisers LLC raised its holdings in shares of ING Groep by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 16,863 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $278,000 after purchasing an additional 781 shares during the period. 4.49% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ING Groep Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ING traded up $0.11 on Friday, hitting $17.89. The company had a trading volume of 1,947,716 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,961,000. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.24. ING Groep has a 52-week low of $12.21 and a 52-week high of $18.03. The business has a 50 day moving average of $16.85 and a 200 day moving average of $15.17. The company has a market cap of $62.58 billion, a PE ratio of 7.92 and a beta of 1.56.

ING Groep (NYSE:ING - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The financial services provider reported $0.52 earnings per share for the quarter. ING Groep had a return on equity of 13.15% and a net margin of 32.20%. The firm had revenue of $6.06 billion for the quarter. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that ING Groep will post 1.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ING Groep Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 25th were given a dividend of $0.697 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 24th. This is an increase from ING Groep's previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.43. This represents a yield of 6.8%. ING Groep's dividend payout ratio is 61.06%.

About ING Groep

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.

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