ING Group, N.V. (NYSE:ING) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• ING Group, N.V. has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from six rating firms, with two hold ratings, three buy ratings, and one strong buy rating.
• Large institutional investors have increased their stakes in ING Group, with notable increases from Price T Rowe Associates and Millennium Management, reflecting growing confidence in the company.
• ING Group recently reported earnings of $0.64 per share, exceeding expectations, and announced a semi-annual dividend of $0.4002 with a payout ratio of 31.34%.

Shares of ING Group, N.V. (NYSE:ING - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the six ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company.

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on ING. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of ING Group from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Barclays raised shares of ING Group from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD acquired a new stake in ING Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $36,062,000. Millennium Management LLC increased its position in shares of ING Group by 197.6% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,667,239 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $32,661,000 after purchasing an additional 1,106,926 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of ING Group by 25.7% during the 1st quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 4,250,850 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $83,274,000 after purchasing an additional 869,281 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in shares of ING Group by 7.3% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 8,764,562 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $191,681,000 after purchasing an additional 593,424 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI grew its stake in ING Group by 1,434.0% during the 1st quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 405,101 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $7,932,000 after buying an additional 378,693 shares during the last quarter. 4.49% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

ING Group Stock Performance

Shares of ING Group stock opened at $24.14 on Wednesday. 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 stock's fifty day moving average is $23.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $21.24. ING Group has a 52 week low of $15.09 and a 52 week high of $25.11. The company has a market capitalization of $75.98 billion, a PE ratio of 11.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.10.

ING Group (NYSE:ING - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The financial services provider reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $6.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.40 billion. ING Group had a return on equity of 11.62% and a net margin of 27.28%. As a group, analysts expect that ING Group will post 2.14 earnings per share 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 issued a $0.4002 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 450.0%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 11th. ING Group's payout ratio is presently 31.34%.

About ING Group

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.

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