NatWest Group plc Increases Stake in UBS Group AG

NatWest Group plc has significantly increased its ownership in UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS - Free Report) by 87.2% during the fourth quarter, as revealed in their most recent filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). This increase brought NatWest's total shares in UBS Group to 197,901, which includes an additional purchase of 92,203 shares within the quarter. UBS Group now constitutes 1.8% of NatWest Group's investment portfolio, making it the 24th largest position in their holdings. As per the latest disclosure, the total value of NatWest's shares in UBS Group stands at approximately $6 million.

Recent Institutional Activity

Several other institutional investors have also adjusted their positions in UBS Group recently. For instance, Commerce Bank raised its holdings in UBS Group by 3.9% last quarter, acquiring a total of 9,278 shares valued at around $287,000. Similarly, Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton increased its stake in UBS Group by 15.6%, now owning 2,624 shares worth $81,000 after the addition of 355 shares in the same period. Additionally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC boosted its stake by 3.2% to 12,813 shares valued at $396,000, while Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings by 0.7%, holding onto 60,705 shares valued at approximately $1.88 million. Continuum Advisory LLC also made a notable increase of 41.6% in their stake, now controlling 1,532 shares worth $49,000.

UBS Group Stock Overview

The price of UBS Group stock opened at $33.43 on Friday. The company maintains a 50-day moving average of $32.52 and a 200-day moving average of $31.39. UBS Group AG has a market capitalization of $107.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.99, and a beta of 1.16. The firm's liquidity ratios include a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.05, with a relatively high debt-to-equity ratio of 3.76. Over the past year, UBS Group's stock reached a low of $26.00 and a high of $35.84.

Recent Financial Performance

UBS Group announced its quarterly earnings results on February 4th, reporting earnings per share (EPS) of $0.23, which fell short of the estimated $0.31 EPS by $0.08. The bank achieved a return on equity of 5.93% and had a net margin of 6.93%. For the quarter, UBS Group generated $11.06 billion in revenues, slightly surpassing analysts' expectations of $10.90 billion, and marked an increase compared to the same quarter last year.

Dividend Announcement

Recently, UBS Group declared an annual dividend scheduled to be paid on April 17th. Shareholders on record by April 16th will receive a dividend of $0.90 per share, yielding 2.1%. This marks a significant increase from the previous annual dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date will be April 16th, with the current payout ratio at 15.13%.

Analyst Ratings Update

A few analysts have provided updated ratings for UBS Group's stock. Kepler Capital Markets upgraded UBS Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating, while StockNews.com recently downgraded it from “buy” to “hold.” Moreover, BNP Paribas upgraded its outlook from “neutral” to “outperform.” Currently, among analysts, there are three ‘hold’ ratings and three ‘buy’ ratings, giving the stock a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy.”

About UBS Group

UBS Group AG is a prominent global financial services company that offers financial advice and solutions to individual and institutional clients around the world. It operates through five main divisions: Global Wealth Management, Personal & Corporate Banking, Asset Management, Investment Bank, and Non-core and Legacy. UBS provides various services, including investment advice, wealth planning, securities-based lending, and corporate banking solutions.

NatWest, UBS, Stocks