KB Financial Group (NYSE:KB) Reaches New 12-Month High – Here’s Why

Shares of KB Financial Group Inc (NYSE:KB) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $119.71 and last traded at $118.27, with a volume of 277374 shares. The stock had previously closed at $116.33.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on KB. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of KB Financial Group in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research upgraded KB Financial Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, KB Financial Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

KB Financial Group Trading Up 1.7%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.38, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a current ratio of 1.65. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $96.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $87.49. The firm has a market cap of $44.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.11.

KB Financial Group (NYSE:KB) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Saturday, January 31st. The bank reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter. KB Financial Group had a return on equity of 9.79% and a net margin of 16.96%. Equities analysts expect that KB Financial Group Inc will post 8.87 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On KB Financial Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in KB. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in KB Financial Group by 1.7% in the second quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 1,554,154 shares of the bank’s stock worth $128,357,000 after purchasing an additional 26,423 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley raised its holdings in shares of KB Financial Group by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 1,080,052 shares of the bank’s stock worth $92,928,000 after purchasing an additional 41,587 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in shares of KB Financial Group by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 882,277 shares of the bank’s stock worth $73,150,000 after buying an additional 36,710 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of KB Financial Group by 11.4% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 836,990 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $69,395,000 after buying an additional 85,822 shares during the period. Finally, Capital International Investors grew its position in shares of KB Financial Group by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 761,913 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $65,637,000 after buying an additional 4,745 shares during the last quarter. 11.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.