Short Interest in KBC Group NV (OTCMKTS:KBCSY) Decreases By 40.3%

KBC Group NV (OTCMKTS:KBCSY) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest in May. As of May 31st, there was short interest totalling 4,300 shares, a decline of 40.3% from the May 15th total of 7,200 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 116,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.0 days. Currently, 0.0% of the company’s stock are sold short.

KBC Group Stock Up 1.9%

Shares of KBCSY traded up $0.92 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $49.21. The company had a trading volume of 28,897 shares, compared to its average volume of 39,518. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $47.34 and its 200 day moving average price is $43.17. The stock has a market cap of $41.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.94, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.80. KBC Group has a 52 week low of $34.78 and a 52 week high of $50.51.

KBC Group (OTCMKTS:KBCSY) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The company reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $2.39 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.03 billion. KBC Group had a net margin of 13.32% and a return on equity of 14.40%. Equities analysts anticipate that KBC Group will post 4.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KBC Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, May 8th were given a dividend of $1.1873 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 3.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 7th. This is an increase from KBC Group’s previous dividend of $0.33. KBC Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of KBC Group in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating on shares of KBC Group in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of KBC Group in a research report on Monday, May 19th.

KBC Group Company Profile

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.