Grupo Financiero Galicia S.A. (NASDAQ:GGAL) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analyst consensus: Eight analysts rate GGAL a consensus "Hold" (2 sell, 2 hold, 3 buy, 1 strong buy) with a 12‑month average price target of $65.50.
• Dividend increase: The company raised its monthly dividend to $0.16 from $0.15, yielding about 4.3% with an ex‑dividend date of March 30 and payment on April 6; the payout ratio is roughly 96.97%.
• Recent results: Grupo Financiero Galicia reported a quarterly EPS loss of $(0.36) on $1.61 billion in revenue, with ROE of 18.96% and a net margin of 7.13% (analysts forecast ~7.49 EPS for the fiscal year).

Shares of Grupo Financiero Galicia S.A. (NASDAQ:GGAL - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of "Hold" from the eight analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $65.50.

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on GGAL shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Grupo Financiero Galicia from $75.00 to $72.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Wall Street Zen cut Grupo Financiero Galicia from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of Grupo Financiero Galicia in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Grupo Financiero Galicia from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th.

Grupo Financiero Galicia Stock Performance

Shares of GGAL opened at $45.04 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.64 billion, a PE ratio of 22.75 and a beta of 1.49. The company's 50 day moving average price is $48.02 and its 200 day moving average price is $45.79. Grupo Financiero Galicia has a 52 week low of $25.89 and a 52 week high of $66.24.

Grupo Financiero Galicia (NASDAQ:GGAL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, March 4th. The bank reported ($0.36) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $1.61 billion during the quarter. Grupo Financiero Galicia had a return on equity of 18.96% and a net margin of 7.13%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Grupo Financiero Galicia will post 7.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Grupo Financiero Galicia Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 6th. Investors of record on Monday, March 30th will be paid a $0.16 dividend. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 30th. This is a positive change from Grupo Financiero Galicia's previous monthly dividend of $0.15. Grupo Financiero Galicia's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 96.97%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Grupo Financiero Galicia

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. bought a new stake in Grupo Financiero Galicia in the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Grupo Financiero Galicia by 131.6% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 938 shares of the bank's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 533 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming acquired a new stake in shares of Grupo Financiero Galicia in the 4th quarter valued at $74,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Grupo Financiero Galicia by 4,942.9% in the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 2,118 shares of the bank's stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 2,076 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Grupo Financiero Galicia in the second quarter worth $151,000.

Grupo Financiero Galicia Company Profile

Grupo Financiero Galicia is a diversified financial services holding company headquartered in Buenos Aires, Argentina. As one of the country's largest private-sector financial institutions, the company provides a comprehensive suite of banking, insurance and investment products to individual, small-to-medium enterprise (SME) and corporate clients. Its operations span retail and commercial banking, asset management, leasing, factoring and pension fund administration.

The core banking segment offers deposit and lending services, credit and debit cards, payment solutions and digital banking platforms.

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