Short Interest in UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS) Drops By 15.0%

UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS) was the target of a large decrease in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 6,530,000 shares, a decrease of 15.0% from the November 30th total of 7,680,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,360,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.8 days. Currently, 0.2% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UBS Group

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its stake in shares of UBS Group by 566.4% in the second quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 1,666 shares of the bank’s stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 1,416 shares during the last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC boosted its stake in UBS Group by 41.6% during the 3rd quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 1,532 shares of the bank’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of UBS Group during the second quarter worth $50,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of UBS Group in the third quarter valued at about $71,000. Finally, Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton lifted its stake in shares of UBS Group by 15.6% in the third quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 2,624 shares of the bank’s stock worth $81,000 after buying an additional 355 shares in the last quarter.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of UBS Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Bank of America began coverage on shares of UBS Group in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, UBS Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

UBS Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UBS traded down $0.28 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $30.32. 598,438 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,045,700. The company has a market cap of $97.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.27 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $31.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $30.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.87, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.05. UBS Group has a 1 year low of $26.00 and a 1 year high of $33.34.

UBS Group (NYSE:UBS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The bank reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.28 by $0.15. UBS Group had a net margin of 5.13% and a return on equity of 4.69%. The business had revenue of $19.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.20 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($0.24) earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that UBS Group will post 1.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.