KBC Group SA (OTCMKTS:KBCSY) Short Interest Up 151.4% in August

Key Points

• KBC Group SA's short interest surged by 151.4% in August, increasing from 3,700 to 9,300 shares, indicating heightened bearish sentiment among investors.
• Analysts have mixed views on KBC Group; Barclays downgraded its rating to "hold," while Morgan Stanley maintained an "overweight" rating, leading to a consensus rating of "Hold."
• The company's quarterly earnings exceeded expectations, with an EPS of $1.42, surpassing the consensus estimate by $0.02, showcasing solid financial performance.

KBC Group SA (OTCMKTS:KBCSY - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totaling 9,300 shares, a growth of 151.4% from the August 15th total of 3,700 shares. Approximately 0.0% of the company's stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 60,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.2 days. Based on an average daily volume of 60,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.2 days. Approximately 0.0% of the company's stock are short sold.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KBCSY has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays cut shares of KBC Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "hold" rating on shares of KBC Group in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating on shares of KBC Group in a report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of KBC Group in a report on Tuesday, September 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold".

KBC Group Price Performance

Shares of OTCMKTS KBCSY traded up $0.06 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $59.72. 19,826 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 24,838. KBC Group has a fifty-two week low of $35.43 and a fifty-two week high of $61.62. The firm has a market cap of $49.87 billion, a PE ratio of 12.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.85. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $56.24 and a 200-day simple moving average of $50.21.

KBC Group (OTCMKTS:KBCSY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.02. KBC Group had a net margin of 15.04% and a return on equity of 14.18%. As a group, analysts predict that KBC Group will post 4.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KBC Group Company Profile

KBC Group NV, together with its subsidiaries, provides integrated bank-insurance services primarily for retail, private banking, small and medium sized enterprises, and mid-cap clients. The company offers demand deposits and savings accounts; home and mortgage loans; consumer finance and SME funding services; credit, investment fund and asset management, and life and non-life insurance; and cash management, payments, trade finance, lease, money market, capital market products, and stockbroking services.

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