Russell Investments Group Ltd. Purchases 121,760 Shares of ING Group, N.V. $ING

Key Points

• Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in ING Group, N.V. by 511.1% in Q1, owning 145,583 shares valued at $2.85 million after acquiring an additional 121,760 shares.
• Analysts have generally upgraded ING Group, with Cfra Research moving from a "moderate sell" to a "hold" rating, and Barclays upgrading from "equal weight" to "overweight," resulting in a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."
• The company recently declared a semi-annual dividend of $0.4002 per share, with an impressive yield of 450.0%, reflective of a dividend payout ratio of 31.80%.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake in ING Group, N.V. (NYSE:ING - Free Report) by 511.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 145,583 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 121,760 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.'s holdings in ING Group were worth $2,852,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ING. Legacy Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in ING Group in the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. boosted its position in ING Group by 135.3% in the 1st quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 1,586 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 912 shares during the period. Redwood Investments LLC purchased a new stake in ING Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Olde Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in ING Group in the 1st quarter valued at about $55,000. Finally, Hexagon Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in ING Group by 21.4% in the 1st quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 5,085 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $100,000 after buying an additional 897 shares during the period. 4.49% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ING Group Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE ING traded down $0.07 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $23.85. 3,505,063 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,652,426. 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 company has a market cap of $75.05 billion, a PE ratio of 10.99, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.14. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $23.30 and a 200-day moving average price of $20.89. ING Group, N.V. has a 12 month low of $15.09 and a 12 month high of $25.11.

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

ING Group Cuts Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ING shares. Cfra Research raised shares of ING Group from a "moderate sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Barclays raised shares of ING Group from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, ING Group presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

ING Group Company 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.