Franklin Resources Inc. Increases Stake in UBS Group AG $UBS

Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS) by 184.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,907,214 shares of the bank’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,179,974 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in UBS Group were worth $226,375,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in UBS. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of UBS Group in the 4th quarter valued at $4,889,413,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in UBS Group by 254.9% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 63,671,310 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,601,589,000 after buying an additional 45,731,061 shares during the period. Viking Global Investors LP boosted its position in UBS Group by 407.5% during the 3rd quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 13,096,560 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $534,852,000 after buying an additional 10,516,148 shares during the period. Ninety One UK Ltd purchased a new stake in UBS Group during the 4th quarter valued at $411,917,000. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can boosted its position in UBS Group by 248.7% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 9,325,276 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $380,782,000 after buying an additional 6,650,862 shares during the period.

UBS Group Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE UBS opened at $47.85 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. UBS Group AG has a 12 month low of $30.36 and a 12 month high of $49.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $149.47 billion, a PE ratio of 17.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.19. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $44.12 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $43.26.

UBS Group (NYSE:UBS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The bank reported $0.94 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.85 by $0.09. UBS Group had a net margin of 12.66% and a return on equity of 10.05%. The business had revenue of $13.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.16 billion. Equities analysts expect that UBS Group AG will post 3.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underweight” rating on shares of UBS Group in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating on shares of UBS Group in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of UBS Group from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Barclays raised shares of UBS Group from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of UBS Group in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, UBS Group has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $60.30.

UBS Group News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting UBS Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Swiss lawmakers are reportedly weighing a compromise that could soften UBS’s capital requirements, potentially reducing the amount of extra capital the bank may need to hold and easing a major overhang on the stock. Exclusive: Swiss lawmakers consider fresh compromise for UBS capital rules, sources say
• Positive Sentiment: UBS Wealth Management US announced multiple advisors in California, Hawaii, and Phoenix were named to Barron’s Top 1,500 Financial Advisors list, reinforcing the strength of UBS’s advisory business and brand in wealth management. Three UBS advisors in California and Hawaii Named to Barron’s Top 1,500 Financial Advisors list
• Positive Sentiment: Six UBS advisors in Phoenix were also recognized by Barron’s, adding to the view that UBS continues to attract and retain top talent in a fee-generating business that is important to investor confidence. Six UBS advisors in Phoenix named to Barron’s Top 1,500 Financial Advisors list
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports also said UBS is reducing Asia ESG staff as part of a broader global restructuring, which looks more like cost-cutting and reorganization than a direct catalyst for earnings.

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.