Natixis Advisors LLC Sells 67,540 Shares of Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:MFG)

Key Points

• Natixis Advisors LLC reduced its stake in Mizuho Financial Group by 2.0% in Q1, retaining 3,363,192 shares valued at approximately $18.5 million.
• Mizuho Financial Group reported $0.15 earnings per share for the last quarter, matching the consensus estimate, but fell short on revenue at $5.13 billion against the expected $5.42 billion.
• Analysts have upgraded Mizuho Financial Group from a "sell" to a "hold" rating, indicating a shift in sentiment towards the stock.

Natixis Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:MFG - Free Report) by 2.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,363,192 shares of the bank's stock after selling 67,540 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC's holdings in Mizuho Financial Group were worth $18,531,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Mizuho Financial Group by 54.7% in the 4th quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 23,558,714 shares of the bank's stock worth $115,201,000 after purchasing an additional 8,329,657 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in Mizuho Financial Group by 18.0% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 16,121,663 shares of the bank's stock worth $78,835,000 after buying an additional 2,454,233 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of Mizuho Financial Group by 86.1% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,743,983 shares of the bank's stock valued at $47,648,000 after buying an additional 4,508,649 shares in the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its position in shares of Mizuho Financial Group by 48.5% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 3,038,291 shares of the bank's stock valued at $14,857,000 after buying an additional 992,900 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its holdings in Mizuho Financial Group by 16.5% in the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 3,020,703 shares of the bank's stock worth $14,771,000 after acquiring an additional 427,400 shares in the last quarter. 3.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Mizuho Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of MFG traded up $0.06 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $6.14. 1,757,602 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,848,176. The company has a market cap of $77.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The company's 50-day moving average price is $5.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $5.43. Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $3.74 and a 52-week high of $6.24.

Mizuho Financial Group (NYSE:MFG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The bank reported $0.15 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.15. Mizuho Financial Group had a return on equity of 8.48% and a net margin of 10.16%. The business had revenue of $5.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.42 billion. On average, analysts anticipate that Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. will post 0.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Mizuho Financial Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday.

About Mizuho Financial Group

Mizuho Financial Group, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in banking, trust, securities, and other businesses related to financial services in Japan, the Americas, Europe, Asia/Oceania, and internationally. It operates through Retail & Business Banking Company, Corporate & Institutional Company, Global Corporate Company, Global Markets Company, Asset Management Company, and Others segments.