Short Interest in Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:MUFG) Increases By 28.5%

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:MUFG) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 9,382,754 shares, a growth of 28.5% from the March 15th total of 7,301,534 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 3,792,462 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.5 days. Currently, 0.1% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MUFG shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE:MUFG opened at $18.54 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $219.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.26, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.38. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group has a 52 week low of $11.58 and a 52 week high of $20.15. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $17.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $16.74.

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (NYSE:MUFG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.30 by $0.02. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group had a net margin of 13.87% and a return on equity of 9.58%. Analysts expect that Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group will post 0.99 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Anchyra Partners LLC increased its holdings in Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group by 4.0% in the first quarter. Anchyra Partners LLC now owns 37,680 shares of the company’s stock valued at $639,000 after buying an additional 1,432 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co increased its holdings in Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group by 11.0% in the first quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 11,856 shares of the company’s stock valued at $201,000 after buying an additional 1,173 shares in the last quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV increased its holdings in Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group by 157.3% in the first quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 135,740 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,304,000 after buying an additional 82,980 shares in the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its holdings in Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group by 160.9% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 104,592 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,659,000 after buying an additional 64,502 shares in the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors purchased a new position in Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $215,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.59% of the company’s stock.

About Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc (MUFG) is a Tokyo-based financial services holding company and one of Japan’s largest banking groups and among the world’s leading financial institutions. The group was formed through the integration of Mitsubishi Tokyo Financial Group and UFJ Holdings and operates a comprehensive suite of banking and financial services for retail, corporate, and institutional clients. MUFG’s core banking operations are conducted through its commercial banking arm and a network of domestic and international subsidiaries and affiliates.

MUFG offers a broad range of products and services including commercial and retail banking, corporate and investment banking, global transaction banking, trust banking, asset management, securities and brokerage services, credit cards, consumer finance, leasing and custody services.