Short Interest in KB Financial Group Inc (NYSE:KB) Rises By 60.6%

KB Financial Group Inc (NYSE:KB) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 541,955 shares, an increase 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 presently 1.4 days. Currently, 0.5% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

KB Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of KB stock traded down $0.12 on Friday, reaching $99.60. 214,788 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 332,933. The company has a market cap of $37.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.33, a P/E/G ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 1.08. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $103.39 and a 200 day moving average price of $91.15. 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 1 year low of $46.38 and a 1 year high of $119.71.

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

Institutional Trading of KB Financial Group

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in KB. AQR Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in KB Financial Group in the 1st quarter valued at $300,000. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of KB Financial Group during the first quarter worth $259,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings in shares of KB Financial Group by 53.4% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 96,650 shares of the bank’s stock worth $5,230,000 after buying an additional 33,650 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC raised its position in shares of KB Financial Group by 64.3% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 26,136 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,414,000 after buying an additional 10,225 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers raised its position in shares of KB Financial Group by 66.4% in the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 8,584 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $709,000 after buying an additional 3,425 shares during the last quarter. 11.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

KB Financial Group Company Profile

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.