NatWest Group (NYSE:NWG) Sets New 52-Week High After Better-Than-Expected Earnings

NatWest Group plc (NYSE:NWG - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week high on Monday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The company traded as high as $13.21 and last traded at $13.19, with a volume of 958511 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $13.00.

The company reported $0.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $5.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.80 billion.

NatWest Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were given a dividend of $0.3899 per share. This is an increase from NatWest Group's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.36. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a dividend yield of 3.8%. NatWest Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 51.68%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on NWG. BNP Paribas lowered NatWest Group from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Peel Hunt downgraded shares of NatWest Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of NatWest Group in a research report on Monday, April 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy".

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in NWG. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its position in NatWest Group by 339.2% in the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 53,450 shares of the company's stock valued at $500,000 after acquiring an additional 41,279 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in NatWest Group in the third quarter worth about $33,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in NatWest Group by 56.0% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 11,529 shares of the company's stock valued at $117,000 after purchasing an additional 4,138 shares during the last quarter. Hilltop National Bank bought a new position in shares of NatWest Group during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of NatWest Group by 56.9% in the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 53,965 shares of the company's stock worth $549,000 after purchasing an additional 19,579 shares in the last quarter. 1.27% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

NatWest Group Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $53.02 billion, a PE ratio of 9.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 1.01. The business's 50 day moving average is $12.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $10.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.06.

About NatWest Group

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.

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