NatWest Group plc (NYSE:NWG) Receives Average Recommendation of "Buy" from Brokerages

NatWest Group plc (NYSE:NWG - Get Free Report) has received a consensus rating of "Buy" from the five brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, three have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company.

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Peel Hunt cut NatWest Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. BNP Paribas lowered shares of NatWest Group from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th.

NatWest Group Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of NWG stock traded up $0.03 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $12.89. 2,221,760 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,291,410. The stock has a market cap of $51.90 billion, a PE ratio of 9.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.93. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $11.89 and its 200 day simple moving average is $10.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. NatWest Group has a 12 month low of $7.68 and a 12 month high of $13.05.

NatWest Group (NYSE:NWG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 14th. The company reported $0.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.26 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $4.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.75 billion. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that NatWest Group will post 1.35 EPS for the current year.

NatWest Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.3899 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from NatWest Group's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.36. This represents a yield of 3.8%. NatWest Group's payout ratio is 55.88%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NatWest Group

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of NWG. New York State Common Retirement Fund acquired a new position in NatWest Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $216,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of NatWest Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,339,000. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of NatWest Group by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 11,118,183 shares of the company's stock worth $113,072,000 after purchasing an additional 408,239 shares during the period. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of NatWest Group by 79.3% in the 4th quarter. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 130,291 shares of the company's stock worth $1,325,000 after purchasing an additional 57,618 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Perigon Wealth Management LLC grew its position in NatWest Group by 13.3% in the 4th quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,045 shares of the company's stock valued at $122,000 after purchasing an additional 1,411 shares during the period. 1.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.