ARGA Investment Management LP Decreases Position in UBS Group AG $UBS

Key Points

• ARGA Investment Management LP cut its UBS stake by 94.5% in Q4, selling 1,592,892 shares and leaving 93,216 shares valued at about $4.35 million according to its latest 13F filing.
• UBS beat expectations in its most recent quarter, reporting $0.37 EPS versus a $0.25 consensus and revenue of $12.20 billion versus $9.88 billion, with revenue up 10.3% year-over-year.
• Company paid a special dividend of $0.55 on April 23, and analysts maintain a consensus rating of "Hold" with an average price target of $60.30.

ARGA Investment Management LP lessened its holdings in UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS - Free Report) by 94.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 93,216 shares of the bank's stock after selling 1,592,892 shares during the period. ARGA Investment Management LP's holdings in UBS Group were worth $4,349,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UBS. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in UBS Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of UBS Group by 118.4% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 821 shares of the bank's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 445 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its stake in shares of UBS Group by 75.2% in the 3rd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 853 shares of the bank's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 366 shares during the period. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of UBS Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its stake in shares of UBS Group by 2,566.7% in the 3rd quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 1,120 shares of the bank's stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 1,078 shares during the period.

UBS Group Price Performance

Shares of UBS opened at $42.22 on Tuesday. UBS Group AG has a 1-year low of $29.73 and a 1-year high of $49.36. The stock has a market cap of $131.88 billion, a PE ratio of 17.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.63, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $40.14 and a 200 day moving average price of $41.71.

UBS Group (NYSE:UBS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The bank reported $0.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.12. UBS Group had a net margin of 10.88% and a return on equity of 8.68%. The firm had revenue of $12.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.88 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.23 earnings per share. UBS Group's quarterly revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that UBS Group AG will post 3.21 EPS for the current year.

UBS Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a special dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 22nd were paid a $0.55 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 22nd. UBS Group's payout ratio is currently 15.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of UBS Group in a research note on Thursday. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "underweight" rating on shares of UBS Group in a research note on Thursday. Zacks Research cut UBS Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of UBS Group in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Barclays raised shares of UBS Group from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $60.30.

UBS Group Company Profile

UBS Group AG is a Swiss multinational financial services firm that provides a broad range of banking and capital markets services to private, institutional and corporate clients. Headquartered in Zurich, UBS operates as a universal bank with a primary focus on wealth management, asset management, investment banking and retail and commercial banking in Switzerland. The firm serves high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, pension funds, corporations and institutional investors through a global network of offices.

Key business activities include global wealth management—offering financial planning, investment advisory, discretionary portfolio management and custody services—alongside asset management products for institutional and retail investors.

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