UBS Group (NYSE:UBS) Shares Gap Up – Time to Buy?

Shares of UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS) gapped up prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $30.28, but opened at $31.59. UBS Group shares last traded at $31.54, with a volume of 360,090 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on UBS shares. StockNews.com raised shares of UBS Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. BNP Paribas upgraded UBS Group from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on shares of UBS Group in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, UBS Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

UBS Group Stock Up 3.8 %

The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $31.56 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $30.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $100.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.18 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.87, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.05.

UBS Group (NYSE:UBS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The bank reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $19.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.20 billion. UBS Group had a net margin of 5.13% and a return on equity of 4.69%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($0.24) earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that UBS Group AG will post 1.73 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On UBS Group

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its position in shares of UBS Group by 3.7% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 49,403 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,459,000 after buying an additional 1,760 shares during the period. TD Asset Management Inc lifted its holdings in UBS Group by 9.5% in the second quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 1,335,628 shares of the bank’s stock worth $39,285,000 after purchasing an additional 116,412 shares during the period. Columbia Asset Management bought a new position in UBS Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $244,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in UBS Group by 6.2% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 13,678 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $404,000 after buying an additional 796 shares during the period. Finally, Gallacher Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of UBS Group by 7.8% during the 2nd quarter. Gallacher Capital Management LLC now owns 15,515 shares of the bank’s stock worth $458,000 after buying an additional 1,118 shares in the last quarter.

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.