Ariel Investments LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in KB Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:KB)

Ariel Investments LLC cut its holdings in shares of KB Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:KB) by 12.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 261,616 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 38,850 shares during the quarter. Ariel Investments LLC owned about 0.07% of KB Financial Group worth $14,886,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of KB Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth $856,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in KB Financial Group by 30.5% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 36,868 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,277,000 after acquiring an additional 8,625 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of KB Financial Group in the 4th quarter worth about $7,301,000. Optas LLC acquired a new position in shares of KB Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $261,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of KB Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth about $933,000. 11.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

KB Financial Group Stock Performance

NYSE:KB opened at $65.64 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $55.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $60.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.29. KB Financial Group Inc. has a twelve month low of $46.38 and a twelve month high of $72.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.65, a PEG ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 0.92.

KB Financial Group (NYSE:KB) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The bank reported $3.02 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.04 by ($0.02). KB Financial Group had a return on equity of 7.71% and a net margin of 12.33%. The company had revenue of $3.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.45 billion. As a group, equities research analysts expect that KB Financial Group Inc. will post 8.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com lowered shares of KB Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 28th.

KB Financial Group Profile

KB Financial Group Inc provides a range of banking and related financial services to consumers and corporations in South Korea, the United States, New Zealand, China, Cambodia, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, and internationally. The company operates through Retail Banking, Corporate Banking, Other Banking Services, Credit Card, Securities, Life Insurance, and Non-Life Insurance segments.