Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc (NYSE:SMFG) Short Interest Up 25.5% in February

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc (NYSE:SMFG) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 3,366,042 shares, an increase of 25.5% from the January 29th total of 2,681,971 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,601,235 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.3 days. Approximately 0.1% of the company’s shares are sold short. Approximately 0.1% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 2,601,235 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.3 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group by 26.0% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 177,249 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,740,000 after purchasing an additional 36,522 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth grew its position in Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group by 40.5% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 18,253 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $282,000 after purchasing an additional 5,258 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group by 41.6% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,163 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 930 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group by 336.4% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 39,574 shares of the bank’s stock worth $610,000 after buying an additional 30,506 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group by 43.9% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 32,398 shares of the bank’s stock worth $490,000 after buying an additional 9,876 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 3.85% of the company’s stock.

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of SMFG traded up $0.06 on Wednesday, hitting $20.75. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,341,993 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,511,900. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $21.40 and its 200-day moving average price is $18.56. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group has a fifty-two week low of $11.83 and a fifty-two week high of $24.33. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $132.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.29, a P/E/G ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.34.

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (NYSE:SMFG) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The bank reported $0.16 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.40 by ($0.24). The company had revenue of $17.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.93 billion. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group had a return on equity of 9.38% and a net margin of 13.81%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group will post 0.39 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Zacks Research lowered Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold”.

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Company Profile

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc (SMFG) is a Tokyo-based financial holding company that provides a broad range of banking and financial services through a network of domestic and international subsidiaries. Established in 2002 as a holding company for the Sumitomo Mitsui banking operations, SMFG’s core banking business is conducted primarily through its main operating bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC), alongside other affiliates covering trust banking, securities, leasing and consumer finance.

The group’s product and service mix spans corporate and commercial banking, retail deposit and loan services, trade and project finance, cash management, syndicated lending, foreign exchange and treasury services, and capital markets and investment banking activities through its securities arm.