KB Financial Group (NYSE:KB) Stock Rating Lowered by Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research downgraded KB Financial Group from “strong buy” to “hold,” though Goldman Sachs and Weiss Ratings maintained buy ratings. MarketBeat’s consensus rating remains “Moderate Buy.”
• KB Financial Group reported quarterly EPS of $3.67, exceeding the $3.51 analyst consensus, while revenue of $3.49 billion also topped expectations.
• The stock opened at $125.40, with a market capitalization of approximately $44.48 billion; institutional investors own 11.52% of shares, with several major firms recently increasing their stakes.

KB Financial Group (NYSE:KB - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report issued on Tuesday, Zacks reports.

KB has been the subject of a number of other reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of KB Financial Group in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of KB Financial Group in a research report on Monday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

KB Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of KB Financial Group stock opened at $125.40 on Tuesday. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $122.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $111.67. The company has a current ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.53. The company has a market capitalization of $44.48 billion, a PE ratio of 10.76, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.02. KB Financial Group has a 12 month low of $77.44 and a 12 month high of $133.29.

KB Financial Group (NYSE:KB - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, August 14th. The bank reported $3.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.51 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $3.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.45 billion. KB Financial Group had a return on equity of 10.11% and a net margin of 17.67%. On average, research analysts predict that KB Financial Group will post 12.91 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of KB Financial Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KB. Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of KB Financial Group by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 1,457,537 shares of the bank's stock worth $145,360,000 after purchasing an additional 39,764 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in KB Financial Group by 20.3% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,068,416 shares of the bank's stock valued at $106,553,000 after purchasing an additional 180,590 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors lifted its stake in KB Financial Group by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 761,913 shares of the bank's stock valued at $65,637,000 after purchasing an additional 4,745 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in KB Financial Group by 18.7% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 342,236 shares of the bank's stock worth $34,131,000 after purchasing an additional 53,952 shares during the period. Finally, WCM Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in KB Financial Group during the first quarter worth approximately $24,497,000. 11.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About KB Financial Group

KB Financial Group Inc is a South Korean financial holding company headquartered in Seoul. Established in 2008, the group operates through a network of subsidiaries that provide banking, securities, insurance, asset management, credit card, consumer finance and other financial services to individuals, businesses and institutional clients.

Its principal subsidiary, KB Kookmin Bank, offers deposit accounts, lending, wealth management, foreign exchange, payments and corporate banking services.

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