Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CFG) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CFG) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nineteen have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $70.8810.

CFG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Citizens Financial Group in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of Citizens Financial Group from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $65.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, March 9th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $80.00 to $73.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Citizens Financial Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $68.00 to $68.50 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th.

Citizens Financial Group Stock Up 2.7%

CFG stock opened at $62.44 on Wednesday. Citizens Financial Group has a one year low of $39.69 and a one year high of $68.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.40 billion, a PE ratio of 14.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.85. The company has a fifty day moving average of $62.47 and a 200-day moving average of $60.56.

Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The bank reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.03. Citizens Financial Group had a net margin of 16.21% and a return on equity of 8.31%. The company had revenue of $2.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.16 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.77 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Citizens Financial Group will post 5.2 EPS for the current year.

Citizens Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced 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 2.9%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 30th. Citizens Financial Group’s payout ratio is presently 43.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Michelle Moosally sold 6,050 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 22,565 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Susan Lamonica sold 13,258 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.04, for a total transaction of $769,494.32. Following the completion of the sale, the insider 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.67% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Citizens Financial Group

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CFG. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its position in Citizens Financial Group by 2.4% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 11,531 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $472,000 after buying an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in Citizens Financial Group by 6.7% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 8,838 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $362,000 after buying an additional 554 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP lifted its position in Citizens Financial Group by 39.5% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 36,932 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,513,000 after buying an additional 10,466 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in Citizens Financial Group by 93.4% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 9,814 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $439,000 after buying an additional 4,739 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its position in Citizens Financial Group by 5.2% during the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 65,564 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,934,000 after buying an additional 3,225 shares in the last quarter. 94.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.