BNP Paribas Financial Markets Trims Stock Position in ING Groep (NYSE:ING)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets decreased its stake in ING Groep (NYSE:ING - Free Report) by 92.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 3,746 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 46,378 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets' holdings in ING Groep were worth $59,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Roxbury Financial LLC bought a new stake in ING Groep in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. IFP Advisors Inc raised its position in ING Groep by 25.1% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 3,095 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 621 shares during the period. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in ING Groep in the fourth quarter worth about $55,000. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. raised its position in ING Groep by 20.0% in the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 3,985 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 665 shares during the period. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in ING Groep in the fourth quarter worth about $65,000. Institutional investors own 4.49% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of ING Groep from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Cfra Research raised shares of ING Groep from a "moderate sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, ING Groep presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

ING Groep Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ING remained flat at $21.08 during midday trading on Wednesday. 1,490,680 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,280,197. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $19.72 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $17.88. ING Groep has a one year low of $15.09 and a one year high of $21.76. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89. The stock has a market cap of $73.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.42 and a beta of 1.15.

ING Groep (NYSE:ING - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 2nd. The financial services provider reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.56 by ($0.07). ING Groep had a net margin of 28.30% and a return on equity of 11.81%. The business had revenue of $6.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.74 billion. On average, equities research analysts predict that ING Groep will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ING Groep Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 25th were given a $0.6526 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 25th. This represents a dividend yield of 5.1%. This is a positive change from ING Groep's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.17. ING Groep's payout ratio is 64.45%.

ING Groep Profile

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.