Short Interest in Erste Group Bank AG (OTCMKTS:EBKDY) Declines By 37.2%

Erste Group Bank AG (OTCMKTS:EBKDY) was the target of a significant decline in short interest during the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totaling 9,434 shares, a decline of 37.2% from the August 15th total of 15,025 shares. Currently, 0.0% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 63,555 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.1 days.

Erste Group Bank Trading Down 4.2%

EBKDY traded down $2.94 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $67.72. The stock had a trading volume of 3,112 shares, compared to its average volume of 72,683. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $68.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $62.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 0.85. Erste Group Bank has a 1-year low of $47.02 and a 1-year high of $73.10.

Erste Group Bank (OTCMKTS:EBKDY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $4.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.48 billion. Erste Group Bank had a net margin of 18.39% and a return on equity of 10.22%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Erste Group Bank will post 5.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Erste Group Bank in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. Oddo Bhf raised Erste Group Bank from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Zacks Research upgraded Erste Group Bank from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Erste Group Bank in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Erste Group Bank in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy”.

About Erste Group Bank

Erste Group Bank AG is an Austrian financial services company headquartered in Vienna. Founded in 1819 as Erste österreichische Spar-Casse, the group has developed into one of Central and Eastern Europe’s major banking organizations. Its ordinary shares are listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange, while its American depositary receipts trade over the counter in the United States under the symbol EBKDY.

The company provides retail and commercial banking services, including current and savings accounts, consumer and mortgage lending, payment services, investment products, and insurance-related offerings.