KB Financial Group Inc $KB Shares Sold by Ariel Investments LLC

Key Points

• Ariel Investments LLC has reduced its holdings in KB Financial Group Inc by 60.1%, now owning 104,374 shares worth approximately $5.65 million.
• KB Financial reported earnings of $3.16 per share for the most recent quarter, surpassing analyst expectations, with a revenue of $3.32 billion.
• Recently, KB Financial Group announced a quarterly dividend of $0.657 per share, equating to an annual yield of 3.4%.

Ariel Investments LLC reduced its stake in KB Financial Group Inc (NYSE:KB - Free Report) by 60.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 104,374 shares of the bank's stock after selling 157,242 shares during the quarter. Ariel Investments LLC's holdings in KB Financial Group were worth $5,648,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of KB Financial Group by 141.8% in the 1st quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 926 shares of the bank's stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 543 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its stake in shares of KB Financial Group by 659.4% in the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,415 shares of the bank's stock valued at $137,000 after purchasing an additional 2,097 shares during the last quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of KB Financial Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $207,000. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its stake in shares of KB Financial Group by 7.4% in the fourth quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 3,759 shares of the bank's stock valued at $214,000 after buying an additional 258 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Perigon Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of KB Financial Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $214,000. 11.52% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

KB Financial Group Price Performance

KB traded down $0.02 during trading on Friday, reaching $78.20. 86,602 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 124,020. The business's 50 day moving average price is $81.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $69.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a current ratio of 1.67 and a quick ratio of 1.67. The company has a market capitalization of $29.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.51, a P/E/G ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 1.07. KB Financial Group Inc has a 1 year low of $46.38 and a 1 year high of $92.39.

KB Financial Group (NYSE:KB - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 14th. The bank reported $3.16 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.15 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $3.32 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.20 billion. KB Financial Group had a return on equity of 9.79% and a net margin of 16.16%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that KB Financial Group Inc will post 8.87 earnings per share for the current year.

KB Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 8th were given a dividend of $0.657 per share. This represents a $2.63 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 8th. KB Financial Group's payout ratio is presently 20.37%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Wall Street Zen downgraded KB Financial Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, August 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy".

KB Financial Group Company Profile

KB Financial Group Inc provides a range of banking and related financial services to consumers and corporations in South Korea, the United States, New Zealand, China, Cambodia, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, and internationally. The company operates through Retail Banking, Corporate Banking, Other Banking Services, Credit Card, Securities, Life Insurance, and Non-Life Insurance segments.