KBC Group NV (OTCMKTS:KBCSY) Short Interest Down 44.2% in May

KBC Group NV (OTCMKTS:KBCSY) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest during the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 7,200 shares, a decline of 44.2% from the April 30th total of 12,900 shares. Approximately 0.0% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 75,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.1 days.

KBC Group Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of KBCSY stock opened at $49.47 on Friday. KBC Group has a 12 month low of $33.98 and a 12 month high of $50.21. The firm has a market cap of $41.31 billion, a PE ratio of 10.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.78. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $46.06 and a 200-day moving average of $42.01.

KBC Group (OTCMKTS:KBCSY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The company reported $0.69 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.03. KBC Group had a return on equity of 14.40% and a net margin of 13.32%. The company had revenue of $2.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.03 billion. As a group, equities analysts predict that KBC Group will post 4.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KBC Group Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KBCSY has been the subject of several analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating on shares of KBC Group in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of KBC Group in a report on Monday, May 19th. Finally, Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of KBC Group in a report on Tuesday.

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.