Vanguard Group Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in UBS Group AG $UBS

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in UBS by 1.3% in Q4 to 139,105,725 shares — roughly 4.45% of the company, valued at about $6.42 billion.
• UBS faces significant Swiss regulatory capital uncertainty: proposals could require about a $20 billion capital increase if a planned split proceeds, and UBS estimates an immediate roughly $4 billion hit from an executive order.
• UBS beat quarterly expectations with $0.37 EPS (vs. $0.25) and $12.2B revenue, paid a special $0.55 dividend on April 23, and holds an average analyst rating of Hold with a $60.30 price target.

Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS - Free Report) by 1.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 139,105,725 shares of the bank's stock after acquiring an additional 1,758,287 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 4.45% of UBS Group worth $6,423,207,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of UBS Group by 73.9% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 62,912 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,927,000 after purchasing an additional 26,728 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in UBS Group by 18.6% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 4,518 shares of the bank's stock worth $137,000 after buying an additional 708 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in UBS Group by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 41,772 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,279,000 after buying an additional 1,267 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth raised its position in UBS Group by 11.6% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 14,111 shares of the bank's stock worth $432,000 after buying an additional 1,469 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in UBS Group by 62.0% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,497 shares of the bank's stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 573 shares during the period.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on UBS. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of UBS Group in a report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley restated an "underweight" rating on shares of UBS Group in a research report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of UBS Group in a report on Friday, February 6th. Barclays raised UBS Group from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded UBS Group from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b+)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. One investment 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 assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, UBS Group presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $60.30.

More UBS Group News

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%

Shares of UBS opened at $41.45 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $129.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.56, a PEG ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.16. UBS Group AG has a 12 month low of $29.73 and a 12 month high of $49.36. The stock's 50 day moving average is $40.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $41.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.63.

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

UBS Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a special dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 22nd were given a $0.55 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 22nd. UBS Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.25%.

UBS Group 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding UBS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.