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

ING Groep (NYSE:ING - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,930,000 shares, a growth of 32.0% from the January 31st total of 2,220,000 shares. Currently, 0.1% of the company's stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,420,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.2 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ING. Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of ING Groep during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Brooklyn Investment Group raised its stake 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 buying an additional 1,207 shares during the last quarter. Redwood Investments LLC purchased a new stake in ING Groep during the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. Versant Capital Management Inc bought a new position in shares of ING Groep during the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in shares of ING Groep by 25.1% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 3,095 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 621 shares during the last quarter. 4.49% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of ING Groep from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th.

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ING Groep Stock Up 3.9 %

ING Groep stock traded up $0.78 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $20.78. The company had a trading volume of 7,108,351 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,273,198. ING Groep has a 12 month low of $14.69 and a 12 month high of $20.79. The company has a market capitalization of $72.67 billion, a PE ratio of 9.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.42 and a beta of 1.44. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $16.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $16.83. 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 announced 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that ING Groep will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ING Groep Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 23rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 13th were paid a $0.1667 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 6.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, January 13th. ING Groep's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.91%.

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.