Optas LLC Takes $302,000 Position in ING Group, N.V. (NYSE:ING)

Optas LLC bought a new position in ING Group, N.V. (NYSE:ING - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 15,440 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $302,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ING. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in ING Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $14,375,000. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in ING Group by 18.7% in the fourth quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 92,045 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,442,000 after acquiring an additional 14,476 shares in the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd boosted its holdings in ING Group by 97.4% in the fourth quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 51,922 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $814,000 after acquiring an additional 25,624 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada grew its stake in shares of ING Group by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 3,946,653 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $61,844,000 after acquiring an additional 31,963 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of ING Group by 697.9% during the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 22,668 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $444,000 after acquiring an additional 19,827 shares in the last quarter. 4.49% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ING Group Stock Up 1.4%

ING stock traded up $0.29 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $20.78. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,169,780 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,289,244. The firm's 50-day moving average is $20.31 and its 200-day moving average is $18.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.86. ING Group, N.V. has a 12 month low of $15.09 and a 12 month high of $21.76. The company has a market cap of $72.67 billion, a PE ratio of 9.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.13.

ING Group (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 for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.56 by ($0.07). The business had revenue of $6.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.74 billion. ING Group had a return on equity of 11.68% and a net margin of 27.70%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that ING Group, N.V. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ING Group Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

ING Group 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.