UBS Group (NYSE:UBS) Shares Gap Down - Here's What Happened

Shares of UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS - Get Free Report) gapped down before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $33.21, but opened at $32.01. UBS Group shares last traded at $31.99, with a volume of 808,420 shares trading hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Kepler Capital Markets raised shares of UBS Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. BNP Paribas raised shares of UBS Group from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. StockNews.com lowered UBS Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded UBS Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut UBS Group from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. One equities research 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold".

UBS Group Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.76, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.06. The stock has a market cap of $97.79 billion, a PE ratio of 20.06 and a beta of 1.15. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $33.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $32.28.

UBS Group (NYSE:UBS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The bank reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.31 by ($0.08). The business 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 firm's revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($0.09) EPS. Research analysts expect that UBS Group AG will post 1.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UBS Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 16th will be given a $0.90 dividend. This is a positive change from UBS Group's previous annual dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 16th. This represents a yield of 2.1%. UBS Group's payout ratio is currently 14.47%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UBS Group

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Berbice Capital Management LLC bought a new position in UBS Group during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of UBS Group during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of UBS Group during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Versant Capital Management Inc purchased a new stake in UBS Group in the 4th quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in UBS Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000.

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.