Erste Group Bank AG (OTCMKTS:EBKDY) Sees Significant Drop in Short Interest

Erste Group Bank AG (OTCMKTS:EBKDY - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in May. As of May 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,900 shares, a drop of 63.3% from the May 15th total of 7,900 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 228,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.0 days. Approximately 0.0% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Erste Group Bank Trading Down 3.1%

Shares of OTCMKTS:EBKDY traded down $1.32 on Friday, reaching $40.81. 23,890 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 72,691. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $37.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $34.22. Erste Group Bank has a 52 week low of $22.36 and a 52 week high of $42.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.10.

Erste Group Bank (OTCMKTS:EBKDY - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.10 by ($0.14). The business had revenue of $3.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.21 billion. Erste Group Bank had a return on equity of 10.95% and a net margin of 15.21%. Sell-side analysts expect that Erste Group Bank will post 4.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Erste Group Bank Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 9th. Investors 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 2.89%. Erste Group Bank's payout ratio is presently 30.31%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Erste Group Bank in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. UBS Group upgraded Erste Group Bank from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 26th. Finally, Citigroup cut Erste Group Bank from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Erste Group Bank has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

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.