Short Interest in ING Groep (NYSE:ING) Increases By 32.0%

ING Groep (NYSE:ING) saw a large growth in short interest during the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,930,000 shares, a growth of 32.0% from the January 31st total of 2,220,000 shares. Currently, 0.1% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 2,420,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.2 days.

Institutional Trading of ING Groep

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ING. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its holdings in ING Groep by 25.2% during the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 20,853 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $379,000 after buying an additional 4,196 shares during the period. Blue Square Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of ING Groep by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Square Asset Management LLC now owns 124,961 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,269,000 after purchasing an additional 2,959 shares during the period. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of ING Groep by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 51,547 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $936,000 after purchasing an additional 1,105 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in shares of ING Groep by 30.8% in the 3rd quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 266,994 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,849,000 after purchasing an additional 62,801 shares during the period. Finally, Zions Bancorporation N.A. increased its holdings in shares of ING Groep by 42.2% in the 3rd quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 52,427 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $952,000 after purchasing an additional 15,547 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 4.49% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of ING Groep from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th.

ING Groep Trading Up 0.5 %

NYSE ING traded up $0.10 on Tuesday, hitting $18.48. 7,134,431 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,235,605. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $16.56 and its 200-day moving average price is $16.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.42 and a beta of 1.46. ING Groep has a twelve month low of $14.13 and a twelve month high of $18.74.

ING Groep (NYSE:ING) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The financial services provider reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.41 by ($0.02). ING Groep had a return on equity of 11.81% and a net margin of 28.30%. Analysts predict that ING Groep will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ING Groep Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, January 13th were issued a dividend of $0.1667 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, January 13th. This represents a yield of 6.4%. ING Groep’s payout ratio is presently 29.91%.

ING Groep Company Profile

ING Groep N.V. provides various banking products and services in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, rest of Europe, and internationally. It operates through five segments: Retail Netherlands, Retail Belgium, Retail Germany, Retail Other, and Wholesale Banking. The company accepts current and savings accounts.