KBC Group NV (OTCMKTS:KBCSY) Short Interest Up 109.5% in February

KBC Group NV (OTCMKTS:KBCSY) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 17,600 shares, an increase of 109.5% from the February 13th total of 8,400 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 44,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.4 days. Approximately 0.0% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on KBCSY. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of KBC Group in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Barclays raised KBC Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 17th.

KBC Group Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of KBC Group stock traded up $0.68 on Friday, reaching $46.04. 20,602 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 42,001. KBC Group has a one year low of $33.98 and a one year high of $47.47. The company has a market capitalization of $38.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.23, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a 50-day moving average of $41.03 and a 200 day moving average of $38.80.

KBC Group (OTCMKTS:KBCSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.26 by $0.21. KBC Group had a return on equity of 14.40% and a net margin of 13.32%. The company had revenue of $3.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.96 billion. Analysts predict that KBC Group will post 4.28 earnings per share for the current year.

About KBC Group

KBC Group NV, together with its subsidiaries, provides integrated bank-insurance services primarily for retail, private banking, small and medium sized enterprises, and mid-cap clients. The company offers demand deposits and savings accounts; home and mortgage loans; consumer finance and SME funding services; credit, investment fund and asset management, and life and non-life insurance; and cash management, payments, trade finance, lease, money market, capital market products, and stockbroking services.