Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG) Announces Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.05 EPS

Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG) announced its earnings results on Thursday. The bank reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.05, Zacks reports. Citizens Financial Group had a return on equity of 8.31% and a net margin of 16.21%.The company had revenue of $2.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.25 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.92 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis.

Here are the key takeaways from Citizens Financial Group’s conference call:

• Citizens posted a strong second quarter with EPS of $1.30, up 15% sequentially and 41% year over year, while ROTCE improved to 13.9%. Management also highlighted record revenue and more than 600 basis points of positive operating leverage year over year.
• Net interest income and fees both accelerated, with NII up 4.4% sequentially on continued NIM expansion and loan growth, and non-interest income up 8% sequentially. Capital markets produced its strongest second quarter ever, and wealth fees hit another record.
• Loan growth improved across the franchise, led by the private bank and commercial banking, while deposit trends remained healthy with strong low-cost deposit growth. Management said the balance sheet is still largely deposit-funded and expects seasonal strength in deposits later in the year.
• Credit remains favorable, with net charge-offs down to 37 basis points and non-accrual loans declining quarter over quarter. The company said its stress-test results improved materially, and the allowance stayed stable at 1.48% of loans.
• Management reaffirmed medium-term upside from strategy execution, including private bank expansion, AI/re-imagination initiatives, and the NEXT branch optimization program. Citizens still sees a path to a 16%-18% ROTCE target by end-2027 and expects continued NIM and operating leverage progress.

Citizens Financial Group Trading Up 4.4%

Shares of NYSE:CFG opened at $74.28 on Friday. Citizens Financial Group has a 52-week low of $45.90 and a 52-week high of $74.70. The company has a market capitalization of $31.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $66.25 and a 200 day simple moving average of $63.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.85.

Citizens Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 30th will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 30th. Citizens Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is 43.50%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Citizens Financial Group news, insider Michelle Moosally sold 6,050 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.16, for a total value of $376,068.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 22,565 shares in the company, valued at $1,402,640.40. The trade was a 21.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.67% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Citizens Financial Group by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 11,531 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $472,000 after buying an additional 274 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in Citizens Financial Group by 6.7% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 8,838 shares of the bank’s stock worth $362,000 after acquiring an additional 554 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP lifted its holdings in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 39.5% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 36,932 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,513,000 after acquiring an additional 10,466 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 93.4% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 9,814 shares of the bank’s stock worth $439,000 after acquiring an additional 4,739 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 5.2% in the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 65,564 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,934,000 after purchasing an additional 3,225 shares in the last quarter. 94.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Citizens Financial Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting Citizens Financial Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Citizens Financial Group posted stronger-than-expected Q2 2026 results, with EPS and revenue both beating Wall Street estimates and profit rising sharply year over year. Business Wire release
• Positive Sentiment: The company said higher net interest income and fee income drove results, and it raised its NIM outlook, which could support earnings momentum going forward. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts noted the quarter benefited from private bank growth and strong expense discipline, reinforcing the bullish reaction to the stock. Seeking Alpha article
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup Financial Group also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.46 per share, signaling continued shareholder returns. TipRanks article
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage from analysts was supportive, including a higher price target from Cantor Fitzgerald and an overweight rating, which may be adding to the stock’s upside momentum.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CFG has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $73.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Robert W. Baird reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $72.00 target price on shares of Citizens Financial Group in a research report on Monday, July 6th. UBS Group increased their price target on Citizens Financial Group from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Citizens Financial Group from $68.50 to $76.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Citigroup downgraded Citizens Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $75.10.

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.