Company Overview - ING Groep is headquartered in Amsterdam and has experienced a price change of 32.67% this year [3] - The company currently pays a dividend of $0.68 per share, resulting in a dividend yield of 6.56%, which is significantly higher than the Banks - Foreign industry's yield of 3.97% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.54% [3] Dividend Performance - The annualized dividend of ING Groep is $1.36, reflecting a 33.7% increase from the previous year [4] - Over the past five years, ING Groep has increased its dividend three times year-over-year, with an average annual increase of 45.79% [4] - The current payout ratio for ING Groep is 31%, indicating that the company paid out 31% of its trailing 12-month earnings per share as dividends [4] Earnings Growth - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ING Groep's earnings in 2025 is $2.28 per share, with an expected increase of 6.54% from the previous year [5] Investment Considerations - ING Groep is considered a compelling investment opportunity due to its strong dividend performance and current Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold) [7] - The company is positioned well for income investors, especially compared to tech start-ups or growth businesses that typically do not offer dividends [6][7]

Group 1 - The core viewpoint is that the US dollar has potential for recovery due to a shift in the Trump administration's focus from threats and large-scale tariffs to trade agreement negotiations [1]

Core Viewpoint - The decline of the Norwegian krone is expected to be limited despite potential interest rate cuts by the Norwegian central bank, as indicated by analysts from ING [1] Summary by Relevant Sections - **Economic Outlook** - The Norwegian central bank may signal an imminent interest rate cut in its upcoming meeting, which could lead to temporary negative impacts on the krone [1] - Increasing economic growth risks suggest that the central bank is likely preparing for a rate cut in June, potentially hindering the recovery of the krone [1] - **Currency Forecast** - The EUR/NOK exchange rate is anticipated to remain within the range of 11.70 to 11.80 for some time [1] - Given the significant exchange rate advantage of the krone and the overbought status of the euro, the EUR/NOK is expected to trend downward [1] - The target set by ING is for the EUR/NOK to decline to 11.50 by the end of the year [1]

Group 1 - The article discusses the author's journey into investing, starting in high school in 2011, focusing on REITs, preferred stocks, and high-yield bonds, indicating a long-standing interest in markets and the economy [1] - The author has recently adopted a strategy that combines long stock positions with covered calls and cash secured puts, emphasizing a fundamental long-term investment approach [1] - The author primarily covers REITs and financials on Seeking Alpha, with occasional articles on ETFs and other stocks influenced by macro trade ideas [1]

Core Viewpoint - Momentum investing focuses on following a stock's recent price trends, aiming to buy high and sell higher, with the expectation that established trends will continue [1] Company Overview: ING Groep - ING Groep currently holds a Momentum Style Score of A, indicating strong potential for momentum investing [3] - The company has a Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which historically outperforms the market when combined with a Style Score of A or B [4] Price Performance - Over the past week, ING shares increased by 2.84%, while the Zacks Banks - Foreign industry rose by 3.61% [6] - In the last month, ING's price change was 1.53%, compared to the industry's 5.15% [6] - Over the past quarter, ING shares have risen by 17.12%, and by 13.14% over the last year, while the S&P 500 has moved -6.91% and 13.12%, respectively [7] Trading Volume - ING's average 20-day trading volume is 3,177,483 shares, which serves as a bullish indicator when combined with rising stock prices [8] Earnings Outlook - In the past two months, two earnings estimates for ING have increased, raising the consensus estimate from $2.12 to $2.30 [10] - For the next fiscal year, one estimate has moved upwards with no downward revisions [10] Conclusion - Given the strong performance metrics and positive earnings outlook, ING Groep is positioned as a strong momentum pick for investors [12]

Core Viewpoint - The euro has lost its status as a preferred alternative to the US dollar, with recent trends showing a decline in its appeal among investors [1] Group 1: Currency Performance - Most G10 currencies performed better than the euro during the week [1] - The euro is currently viewed as the most overbought currency in the options market [1] Group 2: Economic Factors - Concerns over potential weakness in the US economy and optimism regarding German fiscal stimulus have shifted market focus away from worries about the eurozone's economic weakness [1] - A large-scale power outage in Spain and Portugal may further impact the euro negatively [1] Group 3: Market Expectations - If the eurozone's first-quarter economic growth data, set to be released on Wednesday, falls short of expectations, speculators may unwind their bullish positions on the euro [1]

Core Insights - The primary focus for income investors is generating consistent cash flow, particularly through dividends, which are a significant component of long-term returns [1][2] Company Overview: ING Groep - ING Groep, based in Amsterdam, has experienced a share price increase of 22.4% this year [3] - The company currently pays a dividend of $0.65 per share, resulting in a dividend yield of 6.81%, which is significantly higher than the Banks - Foreign industry's yield of 3.84% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.65% [3] Dividend Growth - ING Groep's annualized dividend of $1.31 has increased by 28.8% from the previous year [4] - Over the past five years, the company has raised its dividend three times, achieving an average annual increase of 45.79% [4] - The current payout ratio is 30%, indicating that the company distributes 30% of its trailing 12-month earnings per share as dividends [4] Earnings Expectations - For the fiscal year, ING Groep anticipates solid earnings growth, with the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 at $2.24 per share, reflecting a year-over-year growth rate of 4.67% [5] Investment Appeal - ING Groep is viewed as a compelling investment opportunity due to its attractive dividend and strong Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy) [7]

Execution of our strategy resulted in outstanding growth and strong value delivery 4Q2024 ING Group 6 February 2025 Delivering outstanding commercial growth across all business lines Note: all figures represent FY2024 figures, unless specifically mentioned 1) Includes private individuals only 2) Excluding RWAs in the Corporate Line 2 Mobile primary customers1) +1.1 mln Net core lending growth €+28 bln Net core deposits growth €+47 bln ▪ Very strong growth in mobile primary customers, all markets contributin ...

Company Overview - Freepoint Eco-Systems LLC has closed a $50 million non-recourse project finance facility for its plastic waste upcycling facility in Hebron, Ohio, marking a significant development in the plastic reclamation sector for hard-to-recycle plastics [1][2] - The Hebron facility has a processing capacity of 180 million pounds per year, making it one of the largest commercial-scale facilities globally for reclaiming waste plastic [2] Industry Insights - The financing transaction is seen as a pivotal step in demonstrating that plastic upcycling facilities utilizing new technology can access project finance loan markets, indicating a growing trend in the circular economy and sustainability sectors [2] - ING Capital's involvement highlights the anticipated increase in demand for debt capital in the plastics recycling market as more waste plastic is recovered and recycled worldwide [2]

Share Buyback Programme - ING announced a €2.0 billion share buyback programme initiated on 31 October 2024[2] - A total of 3,163,956 shares were repurchased during the week of 23 December 2024 to 27 December 2024[2] - Shares were repurchased at an average price of €14.85, totaling €46,987,104.63[3] - To date, 48,430,773 ordinary shares have been repurchased at an average price of €14.97, amounting to €724,796,329.16[4] - Approximately 36.24% of the maximum total value of the share buyback programme has been completed[4] ESG Performance - ING's ESG rating by MSCI was reaffirmed as 'AA' in August 2024 for the fifth consecutive year[7] - As of December 2023, ING's ESG Risk Rating is 17.2, indicating a low risk[7] - The company aims to integrate sustainability into its core operations and finance sustainable activities[7] Company Operations - ING operates in over 40 countries with more than 60,000 employees providing retail and wholesale banking services[5] - ING Group shares are listed on the Amsterdam, Brussels, and New York Stock Exchanges[6]