NatWest Group PLC (OTCMKTS:RBSPF) Stock Short Interest Rises 123.0%

Key Points

• NatWest’s short interest more than doubled to 1.42 million shares as of October 15, up 123% from September 30; the stock had a notably high 73-day days-to-cover ratio.
• Shares opened at $8.54, within a 12-month range of $6.75 to $9.80, while the company had a $68.41 billion market capitalization and a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.54.
• NatWest beat quarterly expectations, reporting $0.27 EPS versus $0.23 expected and $5.97 billion in revenue versus $5.83 billion forecast. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded the stock to “moderate buy,” and the overall analyst rating was “Buy.”

NatWest Group PLC (OTCMKTS:RBSPF - Get Free Report) was the target of a large growth in short interest in October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totaling 1,417,381 shares, a growth of 123.0% from the September 30th total of 635,481 shares. Approximately 0.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 19,407 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 73.0 days.

NatWest Group Price Performance

Shares of RBSPF stock opened at $8.54 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $8.96 and a 200 day moving average price of $8.52. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The firm has a market cap of $68.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.54 and a beta of 0.95. NatWest Group has a 12 month low of $6.75 and a 12 month high of $9.80.

NatWest Group (OTCMKTS:RBSPF - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The company reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.23 by $0.04. NatWest Group had a net margin of 20.10% and a return on equity of 14.01%. The company had revenue of $5.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.83 billion.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of NatWest Group from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, NatWest Group presently has an average rating of "Buy".

About NatWest Group

NatWest Group plc is a United Kingdom-based banking and financial services group formerly known as The Royal Bank of Scotland Group. The group serves individuals, families, businesses and institutions through brands including NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland and Ulster Bank in Northern Ireland.

Its personal banking activities include current and savings accounts, mortgages, credit cards, personal loans, insurance and digital banking services. NatWest also provides private banking and wealth management services, while its business and commercial banking operations offer lending, payments, cash management, trade finance and other financial services to small businesses, mid-sized companies, large corporations and institutional clients.

NatWest Group primarily serves customers in the United Kingdom, with operations and services focused on the country's retail, commercial and institutional banking markets.

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