Mizuho Financial Group (NYSE:MFG) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Mizuho Financial Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating, signaling a more neutral outlook for investors.
• Mizuho Financial Group reported $0.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the last quarter, matching analysts' expectations but falling short on revenue estimates.
• Hedge funds have increased their stakes significantly, with Lazard Asset Management boosting its position by 54.7% in the fourth quarter, indicating growing institutional interest in the company.

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Mizuho Financial Group (NYSE:MFG - Free Report) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report released on Sunday.

Mizuho Financial Group Stock Performance

NYSE MFG traded up $0.10 during trading on Friday, hitting $6.08. The company's stock had a trading volume of 829,009 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,851,863. Mizuho Financial Group has a 52 week low of $3.74 and a 52 week high of $6.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The firm has a market cap of $76.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 0.39. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $5.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $5.42.

Mizuho Financial Group (NYSE:MFG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The bank reported $0.15 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.15. The firm had revenue of $5.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.42 billion. Mizuho Financial Group had a net margin of 10.16% and a return on equity of 8.48%. Equities research analysts forecast that Mizuho Financial Group will post 0.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Mizuho Financial Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Mizuho Financial Group by 3.9% during the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,602,728 shares of the bank's stock worth $8,831,000 after buying an additional 59,671 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its position in shares of Mizuho Financial Group by 3.0% during the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 101,716 shares of the bank's stock valued at $550,000 after acquiring an additional 2,918 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Mizuho Financial Group by 14.4% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 67,561 shares of the bank's stock valued at $372,000 after acquiring an additional 8,491 shares during the period. Vanguard Capital Wealth Advisors raised its position in Mizuho Financial Group by 129.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Capital Wealth Advisors now owns 157,004 shares of the bank's stock worth $768,000 after purchasing an additional 88,603 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Forum Financial Management LP lifted its stake in Mizuho Financial Group by 33.3% during the fourth quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 364,094 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,780,000 after purchasing an additional 90,960 shares during the period. 3.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Mizuho Financial Group Company Profile

Mizuho Financial Group, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in banking, trust, securities, and other businesses related to financial services in Japan, the Americas, Europe, Asia/Oceania, and internationally. It operates through Retail & Business Banking Company, Corporate & Institutional Company, Global Corporate Company, Global Markets Company, Asset Management Company, and Others segments.