Erste Group Bank AG (OTCMKTS:EBKDY) Short Interest Update

Key Points

• Erste Group Bank AG saw a significant increase in short interest, with a total of 25,400 shares as of July 15, reflecting a 551.3% rise from the previous month.
• Analysts have a consensus rating of "Buy" for Erste Group Bank, with UBS upgrading the stock to a "strong-buy" rating and Morgan Stanley giving it an "overweight" rating.
• The bank recently cut its dividend, issuing a $1.1657 dividend that has a yield of 289.0%, with a payout ratio of 30.31%.

Erste Group Bank AG (OTCMKTS:EBKDY - Get Free Report) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 25,400 shares, anincreaseof551.3% from the June 30th total of 3,900 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 94,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.3 days. Based on an average trading volume of 94,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.3 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group raised Erste Group Bank from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 26th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Erste Group Bank in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Erste Group Bank in a research report on Monday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy".

Erste Group Bank Trading Up 2.3%

Shares of EBKDY traded up $1.08 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $48.58. 23,143 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 70,333. Erste Group Bank has a 1-year low of $24.69 and a 1-year high of $48.64. The company has a market cap of $39.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.99, a P/E/G ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 1.14. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $42.77 and a 200-day moving average price of $37.83.

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

Erste Group Bank Cuts Dividend

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

Erste Group Bank Company Profile

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.