Erste Group Bank AG (OTCMKTS:EBKDY) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Erste Group Bank AG has received a consensus rating of "Buy" from six brokerage firms, with a mix of ratings including two strong buy ratings.
• The bank reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $1.20, exceeding analyst expectations of $1.05, along with revenues of $3.26 billion.
• Erste Group Bank recently declared a dividend of $1.1657 per share, representing a 289.0% dividend yield, though the company has a payout ratio of 28.89%.

Erste Group Bank AG (OTCMKTS:EBKDY - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the seven ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company.

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Erste Group Bank in a research report on Tuesday. UBS Group upgraded Erste Group Bank from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 26th. Cfra Research upgraded Erste Group Bank to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Erste Group Bank in a research note on Monday, August 4th.

Erste Group Bank Price Performance

Shares of EBKDY traded up $0.81 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $49.98. The stock had a trading volume of 101,898 shares, compared to its average volume of 51,210. Erste Group Bank has a 52-week low of $25.00 and a 52-week high of $50.20. The firm has a market cap of $41.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.34, a P/E/G ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.14. The business's fifty day moving average is $43.32 and its 200 day moving average is $38.19.

Erste Group Bank (OTCMKTS:EBKDY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The financial services provider reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $3.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.18 billion. Erste Group Bank had a net margin of 16.96% and a return on equity of 10.42%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Erste Group Bank will post 4.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Erste Group Bank Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 28th were issued a $1.1657 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a yield of 289.0%. Erste Group Bank's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.89%.

About Erste Group Bank

Erste Group Bank AG provides a range of banking and other financial services to retail, corporate, and public sector customers. The company operates through Retail, Corporates, Group Markets, Asset/Liability Management & Local Corporate Center, Savings Banks, and Group Corporate Center segments. It provides mortgage and consumer loans, investment products, current accounts, savings products, and credit cards, as well as cross selling products, such as leasing, insurance, and building society products.