DNB Asset Management AS Acquires 158,831 Shares of Citizens Financial Group, Inc. $CFG

DNB Asset Management AS lifted its position in shares of Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CFG) by 192.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 241,372 shares of the bank’s stock after acquiring an additional 158,831 shares during the quarter. DNB Asset Management AS’s holdings in Citizens Financial Group were worth $14,099,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. AA Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. AA Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,657 shares of the bank’s stock worth $272,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Inscription Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Inscription Capital LLC now owns 10,902 shares of the bank’s stock worth $637,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Grove Bank & Trust raised its position in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 19.8% during the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 1,107 shares of the bank’s stock worth $65,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. MGO One Seven LLC raised its position in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 5,270 shares of the bank’s stock worth $308,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CRA Financial Services LLC raised its position in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. CRA Financial Services LLC now owns 4,477 shares of the bank’s stock worth $262,000 after acquiring an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Citizens Financial Group

In other Citizens Financial Group news, insider Susan Lamonica sold 13,258 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.04, for a total value of $769,494.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 165,971 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,632,956.84. The trade was a 7.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Michelle Moosally sold 6,050 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.16, for a total value of $376,068.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 22,565 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,402,640.40. The trade was a 21.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.67% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Citizens Financial Group Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE CFG opened at $60.82 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $61.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $59.70. The company has a market capitalization of $25.72 billion, a PE ratio of 14.38, a P/E/G ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. Citizens Financial Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $38.80 and a 12 month high of $68.79.

Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 16th. The bank reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $2.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.16 billion. Citizens Financial Group had a return on equity of 8.31% and a net margin of 16.21%.The firm’s revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.77 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Citizens Financial Group, Inc. will post 5.19 EPS for the current year.

Citizens Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 30th were issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 30th. Citizens Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.50%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on CFG shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded Citizens Financial Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Bank of America boosted their target price on Citizens Financial Group from $70.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Citizens Financial Group from $80.00 to $73.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Citizens Financial Group from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised Citizens Financial Group from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $65.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $70.88.

About Citizens Financial Group

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.