Morgan Stanley Has Lowered Expectations for Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG) Stock Price

Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG) had its price target decreased by equities researchers at Morgan Stanley from $80.00 to $73.00 in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the bank’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s target price points to a potential upside of 21.66% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on CFG. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Citizens Financial Group from $60.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Evercore increased their target price on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $69.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. New Street Research set a $73.00 target price on shares of Citizens Financial Group in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Citizens Financial Group from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Twenty research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.27.

Citizens Financial Group Trading Up 4.4%

Shares of Citizens Financial Group stock traded up $2.55 on Tuesday, hitting $60.00. 2,193,910 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,347,942. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $61.73 and its 200-day moving average price is $57.12. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. Citizens Financial Group has a 52 week low of $32.60 and a 52 week high of $68.79. The company has a market cap of $25.50 billion, a PE ratio of 15.50, a PEG ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 0.70.

Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 21st. The bank reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $2.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.16 billion. Citizens Financial Group had a return on equity of 7.81% and a net margin of 15.19%.Citizens Financial Group’s revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.85 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Citizens Financial Group will post 3.92 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Citizens Financial Group

In other news, insider Susan Lamonica sold 13,258 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.04, for a total value of $769,494.32. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 165,971 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,632,956.84. This trade represents a 7.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.67% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Citizens Financial Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. purchased a new position in shares of Citizens Financial Group in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management acquired a new position in Citizens Financial Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Activest Wealth Management lifted its stake in Citizens Financial Group by 5,600.0% during the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 513 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 504 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 891.5% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 585 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 526 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DV Equities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Citizens Financial Group in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.90% of the company’s stock.

Citizens Financial Group Company Profile

Citizens Financial Group, Inc (NYSE: CFG) is a bank holding company that provides a broad range of banking and financial services to individuals, small and middle-market businesses, corporations and institutional clients. Headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, Citizens conducts its banking operations principally through its primary banking subsidiary, Citizens Bank, and serves customers through a combination of branch locations, ATMs and digital channels. The company is publicly traded and operates under the regulatory framework applicable to U.S.