UBS Group (NYSE:UBS) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research upgraded UBS Group from “hold” to “strong-buy,” making it the latest analyst to turn more positive on the stock.
• Despite the upgrade, Wall Street remains mixed overall: UBS has a consensus rating of “Hold” with an average price target of $60.30.
• UBS shares were up 3.6% and traded near their 12-month high, while the company also recently reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings and revenue.

UBS Group (NYSE:UBS - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on UBS. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered UBS Group from a "hold" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a research report on Friday, June 19th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of UBS Group in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Barclays upgraded shares of UBS Group from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "underweight" rating on shares of UBS Group in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of UBS Group from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $60.30.

UBS Group Trading Up 3.6%

NYSE:UBS opened at $53.80 on Monday. The business's 50-day moving average is $48.53 and its two-hundred day moving average is $44.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 1.19. UBS Group has a 12 month low of $35.40 and a 12 month high of $54.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $168.05 billion, a PE ratio of 19.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.19.

UBS Group (NYSE:UBS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The bank reported $0.94 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.09. UBS Group had a return on equity of 10.05% and a net margin of 12.66%.The company had revenue of $13.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $13.16 billion. Research analysts predict that UBS Group will post 3.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On UBS Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in UBS Group during the fourth quarter worth about $4,889,413,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in UBS Group by 6,277.5% in the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 16,536,418 shares of the bank's stock valued at $821,228,000 after acquiring an additional 16,277,125 shares during the period. Viking Global Investors LP boosted its stake in UBS Group by 407.5% in the third quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 13,096,560 shares of the bank's stock valued at $534,852,000 after acquiring an additional 10,516,148 shares during the period. Ninety One UK Ltd bought a new position in shares of UBS Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $411,917,000. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its holdings in shares of UBS Group by 253.3% during the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 6,861,746 shares of the bank's stock valued at $320,074,000 after purchasing an additional 4,919,494 shares during the last quarter.

UBS Group Company Profile

UBS Group AG is a Swiss multinational financial services firm that provides a broad range of banking and capital markets services to private, institutional and corporate clients. Headquartered in Zurich, UBS operates as a universal bank with a primary focus on wealth management, asset management, investment banking and retail and commercial banking in Switzerland. The firm serves high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, pension funds, corporations and institutional investors through a global network of offices.

Key business activities include global wealth management—offering financial planning, investment advisory, discretionary portfolio management and custody services—alongside asset management products for institutional and retail investors.

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