ING Groep (NYSE:ING) Shares Acquired by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of ING Groep (NYSE:ING) by 197.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 188,448 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 125,017 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in ING Groep were worth $2,953,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of ING Groep by 2.3% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Todd Asset Management LLC lifted its position in ING Groep by 1.6% during the 4th 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. Causeway Capital Management LLC grew its stake in ING Groep by 38.8% during the 4th quarter. Causeway Capital Management LLC now owns 1,491,567 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $23,373,000 after purchasing an additional 416,762 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in ING Groep by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,240,735 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $19,442,000 after purchasing an additional 55,257 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of ING Groep by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 963,306 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $15,095,000 after purchasing an additional 15,118 shares during the last quarter. 4.49% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ING Groep Trading Up 7.1 %

Shares of ING Groep stock opened at $20.65 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $72.24 billion, a PE ratio of 9.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.42 and a beta of 1.15. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $19.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $17.20. ING Groep has a 1 year low of $15.09 and a 1 year high of $20.79. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 2nd. The financial services provider reported $0.49 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by ($0.07). ING Groep had a net margin of 28.30% and a return on equity of 11.81%. The company had revenue of $6.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.74 billion. Equities research analysts predict that ING Groep will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current year.

ING Groep Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 25th will be given a $0.6526 dividend. This represents a yield of 5.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 25th. This is a positive change from ING Groep’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.17. ING Groep’s dividend payout ratio is currently 61.61%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded ING Groep from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, ING Groep presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

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.