ING Groep (NYSE:ING) Short Interest Down 7.5% in January

ING Groep (NYSE:ING) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,220,000 shares, a decline of 7.5% from the January 15th total of 2,400,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 2,340,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.9 days. Approximately 0.1% of the company’s stock are short sold.

ING Groep Trading Up 1.9 %

ING stock opened at $17.44 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The company has a market capitalization of $60.99 billion, a PE ratio of 8.15, a P/E/G ratio of 6.38 and a beta of 1.46. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $16.13 and its 200 day moving average is $16.71. ING Groep has a 12 month low of $13.56 and a 12 month high of $18.72.

ING Groep (NYSE:ING) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The financial services provider reported $0.39 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.41 by ($0.02). ING Groep had a return on equity of 11.81% and a net margin of 28.30%. On average, research analysts anticipate that ING Groep will post 2.14 EPS for the current year.

ING Groep Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, January 13th were paid a dividend of $0.1667 per share. This represents a yield of 6.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, January 13th. ING Groep’s payout ratio is 30.37%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ING. Huntington National Bank increased its stake in shares of ING Groep by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 35,030 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $549,000 after purchasing an additional 597 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in shares of 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 during the last quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings 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 worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 665 shares during the last quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC boosted its position in shares of ING Groep by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 41,553 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $651,000 after buying an additional 716 shares during the period. Finally, C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors boosted its holdings in ING Groep by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors now owns 14,604 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $229,000 after acquiring an additional 722 shares during the period. 4.49% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ING has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of ING Groep from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Barclays lowered ING Groep from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd.

ING Groep Company 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.