NatWest Group (NYSE:NWG) Downgraded to "Strong Sell" Rating by BNP Paribas

Key Points

• BNP Paribas has downgraded NatWest Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating, reflecting increased negative sentiment on the bank's stock.
• NatWest Group's shares have decreased by 2.0%, currently trading at $13.78, with a one-year range between $8.55 and $15.52.
• Despite the downgrade, the company reported strong quarterly earnings, with $5.42 billion in revenue and $0.41 EPS, surpassing estimates.

NatWest Group (NYSE:NWG - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at BNP Paribas from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Zacks Research downgraded NatWest Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, August 18th. BNP Paribas Exane downgraded NatWest Group from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research report on Friday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold".

NatWest Group Trading Up 2.6%

NYSE NWG traded up $0.36 during trading on Friday, hitting $14.12. The stock had a trading volume of 4,646,122 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,372,992. The company has a market capitalization of $57.15 billion, a PE ratio of 9.11, a PEG ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $14.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $13.27. NatWest Group has a twelve month low of $8.55 and a twelve month high of $15.52.

NatWest Group (NYSE:NWG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, July 25th. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.37 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $5.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.06 billion. NatWest Group had a return on equity of 11.99% and a net margin of 16.84%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that NatWest Group will post 1.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NatWest Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NWG. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its holdings in NatWest Group by 374.5% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 2,102 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 1,659 shares in the last quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in NatWest Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new position in NatWest Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. acquired a new position in NatWest Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new position in NatWest Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $39,000. 1.27% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

NatWest Group Company Profile

NatWest Group plc, together with its subsidiaries, provides banking and financial products and services to personal, commercial, corporate, and institutional customers in the United Kingdom and internationally. It operates through Retail Banking, Private Banking, and Commercial & Institutional segments.