FORA Capital LLC Invests $302,000 in ING Group, N.V. $ING

Key Points

• FORA Capital LLC invested approximately $302,000 in ING Group, N.V. by purchasing 15,415 shares in the first quarter.
• Analysts have improved their ratings for ING, with Cfra Research changing it from "moderate sell" to "hold" and Barclays upgrading from "equal weight" to "overweight".
• ING Group recently reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $0.64, surpassing analyst expectations of $0.59, while also announcing a semi-annual dividend of $0.4002.

FORA Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ING Group, N.V. (NYSE:ING - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 15,415 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $302,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of ING Group by 4.4% during the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 4,342,916 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $85,078,000 after acquiring an additional 181,800 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its stake in ING Group by 25.7% in the first quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 4,250,850 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $83,274,000 after buying an additional 869,281 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its position in shares of ING Group by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 3,946,653 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $61,844,000 after purchasing an additional 31,963 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD bought a new stake in shares of ING Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,062,000. Finally, Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky boosted its position in shares of ING Group by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 1,780,630 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $34,882,000 after purchasing an additional 6,200 shares in the last quarter. 4.49% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

ING Group Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE ING traded down $0.07 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $23.85. 3,505,063 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,656,206. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.83. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $23.30 and its 200-day simple moving average is $20.92. ING Group, N.V. has a one year low of $15.09 and a one year high of $25.11. The company has a market cap of $75.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.10.

ING Group (NYSE:ING - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The financial services provider reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.59 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $6.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.40 billion. ING Group had a net margin of 27.28% and a return on equity of 11.62%. On average, analysts predict that ING Group, N.V. will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ING Group Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 25th. Investors of record on Monday, August 11th were given a dividend of $0.4002 per share. This represents a yield of 450.0%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 11th. ING Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.80%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barclays upgraded shares of ING Group from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Cfra Research upgraded shares of ING Group from a "moderate sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, ING Group currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

About ING Group

ING Groep N.V. provides various banking products and services in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, rest of Europe, and internationally. It operates through five segments: Retail Netherlands, Retail Belgium, Retail Germany, Retail Other, and Wholesale Banking. The company accepts current and savings accounts.