Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Purchases 629,310 Shares of UBS Group AG $UBS

Key Points

• Pictet Asset Management bought an additional 629,310 UBS shares in Q4 (a 1.8% increase), raising its stake to 35,932,192 shares (~1.15% of UBS) worth $1.676 billion and making UBS its 7th-largest holding.
• Analysts are mixed: MarketBeat shows a consensus rating of "Hold" with a $60.30 target, while recent notes include upgrades from Weiss and Barclays amid several hold/underweight calls.
• UBS beat quarterly estimates (EPS $0.37 vs. $0.25; revenue $12.2B) and paid a special $0.55 dividend on April 23, but it faces regulatory capital uncertainty that could imply a roughly $4B immediate hit or up to ~$20B if a planned Swiss split proceeds.

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its position in UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS - Free Report) by 1.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 35,932,192 shares of the bank's stock after purchasing an additional 629,310 shares during the quarter. UBS Group comprises 1.6% of Pictet Asset Management Holding SA's holdings, making the stock its 7th largest position. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA owned approximately 1.15% of UBS Group worth $1,676,302,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its holdings in shares of UBS Group by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 2,742,259 shares of the bank's stock valued at $112,048,000 after acquiring an additional 97,509 shares during the last quarter. Lingohr Asset Management GmbH raised its holdings in shares of UBS Group by 1,198.4% during the third quarter. Lingohr Asset Management GmbH now owns 258,115 shares of the bank's stock worth $10,559,000 after purchasing an additional 238,235 shares during the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its holdings in shares of UBS Group by 6.4% during the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 4,439,632 shares of the bank's stock worth $181,409,000 after purchasing an additional 265,475 shares during the last quarter. Permanent Capital Management LP acquired a new position in UBS Group during the third quarter valued at $2,842,000. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in UBS Group by 21.0% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 77,353,590 shares of the bank's stock valued at $3,171,497,000 after purchasing an additional 13,417,945 shares during the period.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UBS has been the topic of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings raised UBS Group from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b+)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Barclays raised UBS Group from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Morgan Stanley restated an "underweight" rating on shares of UBS Group in a research note on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of UBS Group in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded UBS Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $60.30.

Trending Headlines about UBS Group

Here are the key news stories impacting UBS Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade/note highlighting tailwinds — Bank of America notes capital tailwinds, wealth-management growth and buybacks that support upside potential, which can bolster investor confidence and offset regulatory concerns. UBS: Capital Tailwinds, Wealth Management Growth, and Buybacks Support Upside Potential
• Neutral Sentiment: UBS published an official statement on Swiss regulatory capital announcements — the company is engaging with regulators and quantifying impacts, which reduces uncertainty but doesn’t eliminate the capital-hit risk. Management communication can stabilize sentiment. UBS statement on regulatory capital announcements made by the Swiss government
• Neutral Sentiment: UBS ceasing to be a substantial shareholder in Boss Energy is a routine portfolio change for the bank’s asset-management arms and is unlikely to move UBS shares materially. UBS Group Ceases to Be Substantial Shareholder in Boss Energy
• Negative Sentiment: Swiss government proposal would require a capital increase of about $20 billion for UBS if a planned Swiss separation proceeds — a large capital raise could dilute equity, raise funding costs, and weigh on the share price. UBS faces US$20 billion hike in capital needs as Swiss split grows
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage and commentary argue the proposed Swiss reform package “dodges the real issues,” highlighting ongoing political and regulatory uncertainty in Switzerland that could prolong volatility for UBS shares. UBS and Switzerland: proposed reform package dodges the real issues
• Negative Sentiment: UBS says the Swiss executive order would create a roughly $4 billion capital impact — a smaller but immediate hit to regulatory capital that investors will factor into capital planning and potential return metrics. UBS sees $4 billion capital impact from Swiss executive order

UBS Group Stock Up 0.1%

UBS opened at $41.45 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $40.13 and a two-hundred day moving average of $41.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $129.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.56, a PEG ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.16. UBS Group AG has a fifty-two week low of $29.73 and a fifty-two week high of $49.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.63, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.19.

UBS Group (NYSE:UBS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The bank reported $0.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.12. UBS Group had a net margin of 10.88% and a return on equity of 8.68%. The business had revenue of $12.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.88 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.23 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that UBS Group AG will post 3.21 earnings per share for the current year.

UBS Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a special dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 22nd were given a dividend of $0.55 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 22nd. UBS Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 15.25%.

UBS Group Company Profile

UBS Group AG is a Swiss multinational financial services firm that provides a broad range of banking and capital markets services to private, institutional and corporate clients. Headquartered in Zurich, UBS operates as a universal bank with a primary focus on wealth management, asset management, investment banking and retail and commercial banking in Switzerland. The firm serves high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, pension funds, corporations and institutional investors through a global network of offices.

Key business activities include global wealth management—offering financial planning, investment advisory, discretionary portfolio management and custody services—alongside asset management products for institutional and retail investors.

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