EP Wealth Advisors LLC Acquires New Holdings in ING Groep (NYSE:ING)

EP Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of ING Groep (NYSE:ING) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 10,454 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $164,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Roxbury Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of ING Groep during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its stake in ING Groep by 184.8% in the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,860 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 1,207 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in ING Groep by 25.1% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 3,095 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 621 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ING Groep in the 4th quarter valued at about $55,000. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of ING Groep by 20.0% in the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 3,985 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 665 shares during the period. 4.49% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

ING Groep Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ING opened at $21.10 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.13. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $19.39 and a 200 day moving average price of $17.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.81 billion, a PE ratio of 9.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.42 and a beta of 1.15. ING Groep has a 52 week low of $15.09 and a 52 week high of $21.13.

ING Groep (NYSE:ING) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 2nd. The financial services provider reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.56 by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $6.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.74 billion. 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 Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 25th were issued a dividend of $0.6526 per share. This is an increase from ING Groep’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.17. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 25th. This represents a yield of 5.1%. ING Groep’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 64.45%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ING. The Goldman Sachs Group raised ING Groep from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Cfra Research raised ING Groep from a “moderate sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

About ING Groep

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.