KB Financial Group Inc (NYSE:KB) Short Interest Update

KB Financial Group Inc (NYSE:KB) was the target of a large growth in short interest during the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 541,955 shares, a growth of 60.6% from the February 26th total of 337,359 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 380,878 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.4 days. Currently, 0.5% of the shares of the company are short sold.

KB Financial Group Stock Performance

KB traded down $0.12 on Friday, reaching $99.60. The company had a trading volume of 214,788 shares, compared to its average volume of 326,733. The stock has a market cap of $37.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.33, a P/E/G ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.48, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a current ratio of 1.64. KB Financial Group has a fifty-two week low of $46.38 and a fifty-two week high of $119.71. The company’s fifty day moving average is $103.39 and its 200 day moving average is $91.20.

KB Financial Group (NYSE:KB) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Saturday, January 31st. The bank reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. KB Financial Group had a net margin of 17.16% and a return on equity of 9.67%. As a group, analysts predict that KB Financial Group will post 8.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on KB shares. Zacks Research raised KB Financial Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Wall Street Zen raised KB Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of KB Financial Group in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, KB Financial Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Institutional Trading of KB Financial Group

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Horizon Corp acquired a new position in KB Financial Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of KB Financial Group by 131.6% during the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 403 shares of the bank’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of KB Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its position in shares of KB Financial Group by 187.4% in the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 500 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 326 shares during the period. Finally, Leonteq Securities AG bought a new stake in shares of KB Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $43,000. 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.