NatWest Group (NYSE:NWG) Hits New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

Shares of NatWest Group plc (NYSE:NWG) reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The company traded as high as $10.28 and last traded at $10.27, with a volume of 76331 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $9.98.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NWG has been the topic of several analyst reports. UBS Group upgraded shares of NatWest Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Kepler Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of NatWest Group in a report on Thursday, September 5th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised NatWest Group from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on NatWest Group in a report on Friday, October 4th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of NatWest Group from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, NatWest Group currently has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

NatWest Group Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $9.33 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $8.77. The stock has a market cap of $41.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.56 and a beta of 1.32.

Institutional Trading of NatWest Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in NatWest Group by 10.7% during the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 10,709,944 shares of the company’s stock worth $100,245,000 after acquiring an additional 1,031,057 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in NatWest Group by 3.0% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 7,048,194 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,615,000 after acquiring an additional 205,439 shares during the period. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky raised its position in NatWest Group by 9.4% in the second quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 2,623,571 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,068,000 after acquiring an additional 224,900 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates boosted its stake in NatWest Group by 6.7% in the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 2,564,252 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,001,000 after acquiring an additional 162,068 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of NatWest Group by 55.4% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,759,325 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,127,000 after acquiring an additional 627,097 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 1.27% of the company’s stock.

NatWest Group Company Profile

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.