NatWest Group (NYSE:NWG) Sees Large Volume Increase – Still a Buy?

NatWest Group plc (NYSE:NWG) saw unusually-high trading volume on Wednesday . Approximately 6,247,724 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 96% from the previous session’s volume of 3,185,949 shares.The stock last traded at $12.01 and had previously closed at $11.80.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised NatWest Group from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, NatWest Group presently has an average rating of “Buy”.

NatWest Group Trading Up 2.2 %

The business’s 50-day moving average price is $10.53 and its 200 day moving average price is $9.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.87, a PEG ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06.

NatWest Group (NYSE:NWG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 14th. The company reported $0.37 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.26 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $4.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.75 billion. On average, equities analysts forecast that NatWest Group plc will post 1.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NatWest Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.3899 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a dividend yield of 3.8%. This is a positive change from NatWest Group’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.36. NatWest Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 55.88%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Creative Planning boosted its holdings in NatWest Group by 21.0% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 144,276 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,350,000 after purchasing an additional 25,075 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in shares of NatWest Group by 70.3% in the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 21,619 shares of the company’s stock valued at $202,000 after acquiring an additional 8,923 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its position in NatWest Group by 13.3% during the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 52,869 shares of the company’s stock worth $495,000 after purchasing an additional 6,199 shares during the period. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in NatWest Group during the 3rd quarter worth $426,000. Finally, Ballentine Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of NatWest Group by 17.6% in the 3rd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 37,412 shares of the company’s stock valued at $350,000 after purchasing an additional 5,601 shares in the last quarter. 1.27% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About NatWest Group

NatWest Group plc, together with its subsidiaries, provides banking and financial products and services to personal, commercial, corporate, and institutional customers in the United Kingdom and internationally. It operates through Retail Banking, Private Banking, and Commercial & Institutional segments.