KB Financial Group (NYSE:KB) Reaches New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

KB Financial Group Inc (NYSE:KB)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $126.57 and last traded at $125.22, with a volume of 18416 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $124.16.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of KB Financial Group in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of KB Financial Group in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of KB Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have issued a Buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

KB Financial Group Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $44.42 billion, a PE ratio of 10.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.53. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $115.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $109.60.

KB Financial Group (NYSE:KB) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 14th. The bank reported $3.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.51 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $3.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.45 billion. KB Financial Group had a net margin of 17.67% and a return on equity of 10.11%. Research analysts expect that KB Financial Group Inc will post 12.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KB Financial Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in KB. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its holdings in KB Financial Group by 131.6% during the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 403 shares of the bank’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of KB Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc raised its position in shares of KB Financial Group by 29.3% during the 1st quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 477 shares of the bank’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Corp raised its position in shares of KB Financial Group by 36.2% during the 1st quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 489 shares of the bank’s stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its position in shares of KB Financial Group by 90.0% during the 1st quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 496 shares of the bank’s stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 235 shares in the last quarter. 11.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About KB Financial Group

KB Financial Group Inc is a South Korea-based financial holding company that offers a broad range of banking and financial services. Headquartered in Seoul and listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker KB, the group operates through a set of specialized subsidiaries to provide integrated financial solutions for retail, corporate and institutional clients.

The company’s principal businesses include retail and corporate banking, securities and investment banking, insurance (life and non-life), asset management, credit card and consumer finance, and leasing.