Banque Cantonale Vaudoise Takes Position in UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS)

Key Points

• Banque Cantonale Vaudoise has acquired a new stake in UBS Group AG during the first quarter, purchasing 6,812,034 shares valued at approximately $206.9 million, making it the bank's largest holding.
• Several hedge funds, including Fiera Capital Corp and LPL Financial LLC, have also increased their positions in UBS Group, reflecting growing interest among institutional investors.
• UBS Group reported an earnings per share (EPS) of $0.51 for the last quarter, surpassing analyst expectations, and is currently rated with a mix of "buy," "hold," and "sell" recommendations by various analysts.

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise purchased a new position in shares of UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 6,812,034 shares of the bank's stock, valued at approximately $206,885,000. UBS Group accounts for about 9.1% of Banque Cantonale Vaudoise's investment portfolio, making the stock its largest holding. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise owned approximately 0.21% of UBS Group at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UBS. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its position in UBS Group by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 16,302 shares of the bank's stock worth $531,000 after purchasing an additional 527 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in shares of UBS Group by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 197,201 shares of the bank's stock worth $5,979,000 after acquiring an additional 5,217 shares in the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of UBS Group by 20.4% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 195,629 shares of the bank's stock worth $5,931,000 after acquiring an additional 33,126 shares in the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL boosted its stake in shares of UBS Group by 11.5% during the 4th quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 7,976 shares of the bank's stock worth $242,000 after acquiring an additional 823 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its stake in UBS Group by 6,521.7% in the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 15,230 shares of the bank's stock valued at $462,000 after buying an additional 15,000 shares in the last quarter.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on UBS. DZ Bank raised shares of UBS Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Wedbush reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of UBS Group in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of UBS Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of UBS Group from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating on shares of UBS Group in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, UBS Group presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

UBS Group Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of UBS Group stock traded down $0.68 during trading on Friday, hitting $36.65. 3,136,925 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,220,204. The stock has a market cap of $117.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.15. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $34.05 and its 200 day moving average price is $32.71. UBS Group AG has a 12-month low of $25.75 and a 12-month high of $38.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.72, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.04.

UBS Group (NYSE:UBS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The bank reported $0.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.70 by $0.02. UBS Group had a net margin of 9.21% and a return on equity of 7.23%. The firm had revenue of $11.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.77 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.34 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that UBS Group AG will post 1.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UBS Group Profile

UBS Group AG provides financial advice and solutions to private, institutional, and corporate clients worldwide. It operates through five divisions: Global Wealth Management, Personal & Corporate Banking, Asset Management, Investment Bank, and Non-core and Legacy. The company offers investment advice, estate and wealth planning, investing, corporate and banking, and investment management, as well as mortgage, securities-based, and structured lending solutions.