Erste Group Bank (OTCMKTS:EBKDY) Reaches New 12-Month High - Should You Buy?

Shares of Erste Group Bank AG (OTCMKTS:EBKDY - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $42.68 and last traded at $42.68, with a volume of 14581 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $41.43.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on EBKDY. Citigroup downgraded Erste Group Bank from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. UBS Group raised Erste Group Bank from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Erste Group Bank in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy".

Erste Group Bank Price Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $39.17 and a 200 day moving average of $35.15. The company has a market cap of $34.66 billion, a PE ratio of 10.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.10.

Erste Group Bank (OTCMKTS:EBKDY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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). Erste Group Bank had a net margin of 16.22% and a return on equity of 10.31%. The company had revenue of $3.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.21 billion. Equities research analysts expect that Erste Group Bank AG will post 4.05 EPS for the current year.

Erste Group Bank Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 28th were issued a $1.1657 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a dividend yield of 2.89%. Erste Group Bank's payout ratio is currently 30.31%.

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.

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