UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS) is Channing Global Advisors LLC’s Largest Position

Channing Global Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS) by 3.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 555,432 shares of the bank’s stock after purchasing an additional 20,098 shares during the period. UBS Group makes up approximately 13.4% of Channing Global Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its largest position. Channing Global Advisors LLC’s holdings in UBS Group were worth $17,221,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in UBS. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in UBS Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of UBS Group by 61.8% during the 3rd quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 1,340 shares of the bank’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 512 shares during the last quarter. Naples Money Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of UBS Group during the 4th quarter worth $51,000. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd lifted its position in shares of UBS Group by 118.5% during the 3rd quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,868 shares of the bank’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 1,013 shares during the last quarter. Finally, WASHINGTON TRUST Co purchased a new stake in shares of UBS Group during the 3rd quarter worth $48,000.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of UBS Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of UBS Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 8th. Societe Generale upgraded shares of UBS Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. BNP Paribas lowered shares of UBS Group from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Citigroup lowered shares of UBS Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, UBS Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

UBS Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UBS traded down $0.08 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $27.41. The stock had a trading volume of 870,006 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,885,102. UBS Group AG has a 1 year low of $18.71 and a 1 year high of $32.13. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $29.65 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $28.26. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.23.

UBS Group (NYSE:UBS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 6th. The bank reported ($0.09) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.09 by ($0.18). UBS Group had a return on equity of 7.56% and a net margin of 43.70%. The company had revenue of $10.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.06 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.50 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 35.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that UBS Group AG will post 1.12 earnings per share for the current year.

UBS Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared an annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 2nd will be issued a $0.228 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 1st. This is an increase from UBS Group’s previous annual dividend of $0.18. UBS Group’s dividend payout ratio is 2.00%.

About UBS Group

UBS Group AG provides financial advice and solutions to private, institutional, and corporate clients worldwide. It operates through five divisions: Global Wealth Management, Personal & Corporate Banking, Asset Management, Investment Bank, and Non-core and Legacy. The company offers investment advice, estate and wealth planning, investing, corporate and banking, and investment management, as well as mortgage, securities-based, and structured lending solutions.