Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CFG) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CFG) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $72.3750.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of Citizens Financial Group from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $65.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $75.00 target price on shares of Citizens Financial Group in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st.

Citizens Financial Group Stock Performance

NYSE CFG opened at $70.97 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $30.01 billion, a PE ratio of 16.78, a P/E/G ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 0.67. 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 has a twelve month low of $45.90 and a twelve month high of $72.46. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $65.12 and a 200-day simple moving average of $62.76.

Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 16th. The bank reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $2.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.16 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.77 EPS. Citizens Financial Group’s revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Citizens Financial Group will post 5.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Citizens Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 30th were paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 30th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Citizens Financial Group’s payout ratio is presently 43.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Citizens Financial Group

In related news, insider Michelle Moosally sold 6,050 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.16, for a total value of $376,068.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 22,565 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,402,640.40. The trade was a 21.14% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.67% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Citizens Financial Group

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Citizens Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $355,909,000. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Citizens Financial Group by 56.9% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 7,722,559 shares of the bank’s stock worth $451,075,000 after buying an additional 2,799,050 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Citizens Financial Group by 89.4% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,731,592 shares of the bank’s stock worth $276,372,000 after buying an additional 2,232,806 shares in the last quarter. Amundi boosted its position in Citizens Financial Group by 136.4% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 3,513,388 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $205,217,000 after buying an additional 2,027,255 shares during the period. Finally, Capital International Investors boosted its position in Citizens Financial Group by 32.3% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 8,000,750 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $467,389,000 after buying an additional 1,953,372 shares during the period. 94.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.