Erste Group Bank AG (OTCMKTS:EBKDY) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

Erste Group Bank AG (OTCMKTS:EBKDY) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totaling 1,370 shares, a decrease of 91.8% from the September 15th total of 16,670 shares. Approximately 0.0% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 666,353 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.0 days.

Erste Group Bank Stock Performance

Shares of Erste Group Bank stock remained flat at $61.36 during trading on Friday. 49,525 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 272,613. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.95. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $69.32 and a two-hundred day moving average of $63.82. The firm has a market cap of $47.66 billion, a PE ratio of 11.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.92. Erste Group Bank has a one year low of $47.02 and a one year high of $73.10.

Erste Group Bank (OTCMKTS:EBKDY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.43 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $4.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.48 billion. Erste Group Bank had a return on equity of 10.22% and a net margin of 18.39%. Equities research analysts forecast that Erste Group Bank will post 5.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on EBKDY. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Erste Group Bank in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Erste Group Bank in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. Zacks Research raised shares of Erste Group Bank from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Erste Group Bank in a report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Erste Group Bank to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Erste Group Bank has an average rating of “Buy”.

Erste Group Bank Company Profile

Erste Group Bank AG is an Austria-based banking group serving retail customers, small and medium-sized businesses, corporate clients, and institutional customers. Its services include current and savings accounts, consumer and housing loans, mortgages, payment services, investment products, insurance-related offerings, corporate finance, and capital-markets services.

The group has its roots in Erste österreichische Spar-Casse, founded in Vienna in 1819. Through its banking subsidiaries, Erste Group provides financial services across Austria and several Central and Eastern European markets, including the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Hungary, Croatia, and Serbia.