KBC Group SA (OTCMKTS:KBCSY) Shares Shorted: Short Interest Up 54.8% in September

KBC Group SA (OTCMKTS:KBCSY) was the target of a large increase in short interest in September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totaling 5,334 shares, an increase of 54.8% from the September 15th total of 3,445 shares. Approximately 0.0% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 28,641 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.2 days.

KBC Group Stock Performance

Shares of KBC Group stock traded up $0.04 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $67.81. 4,036 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 28,068. The company has a market cap of $56.64 billion, a PE ratio of 12.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.64. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $74.26 and a 200-day moving average of $69.68. KBC Group has a 12 month low of $57.78 and a 12 month high of $78.02.

KBC Group (OTCMKTS:KBCSY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $1.64 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.05. KBC Group had a net margin of 15.58% and a return on equity of 13.42%. The business had revenue of $3.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.83 billion. On average, equities analysts anticipate that KBC Group will post 5.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating on shares of KBC Group in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of KBC Group in a report on Wednesday, September 16th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating on shares of KBC Group in a report on Tuesday, September 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

KBC Group Company Profile

KBC Group is a Belgium-based financial services group that combines banking and insurance activities. Through its banking and insurance subsidiaries, the company serves individuals, households, small and medium-sized enterprises, corporate clients and private banking customers.

KBC’s main services include current and savings accounts, consumer and residential lending, business finance, investment and wealth management, payments, and a range of life and non-life insurance products. The group distributes its services through bank branches, insurance agencies and digital channels, including integrated banking and insurance platforms.

The group was created in 1998 through the merger of Kredietbank, CERA Bank and ABB Insurance.