ING Groep (NYSE:ING) Shares Sold by Neuberger Berman Group LLC

Neuberger Berman Group LLC lowered its position in ING Groep (NYSE:ING) by 26.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 431,146 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 151,728 shares during the period. Neuberger Berman Group LLC’s holdings in ING Groep were worth $6,755,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of ING Groep by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 3,381,569 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $52,989,000 after buying an additional 74,771 shares in the last quarter. Todd Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in ING Groep by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Todd Asset Management LLC now owns 2,771,941 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $43,436,000 after acquiring an additional 42,851 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in ING Groep by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,240,735 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $19,442,000 after acquiring an additional 55,257 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in ING Groep by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 963,306 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $15,095,000 after acquiring an additional 15,118 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of ING Groep during the 4th quarter worth $14,375,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 4.49% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of ING Groep from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Three investment 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, ING Groep has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

ING Groep Stock Performance

ING opened at $18.24 on Friday. ING Groep has a 1-year low of $15.09 and a 1-year high of $20.79. The stock has a market cap of $63.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.52, a P/E/G ratio of 6.42 and a beta of 1.07. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $18.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is $17.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13.

ING Groep (NYSE:ING) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The financial services provider reported $0.39 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.41 by ($0.02). ING Groep had a net margin of 28.30% and a return on equity of 11.81%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that ING Groep will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ING Groep Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 25th will be given a dividend of $0.6526 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 25th. This represents a yield of 5.1%. This is a boost from ING Groep’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.17. ING Groep’s payout ratio is presently 60.75%.

ING Groep 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.