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

Shares of Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CFG) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $46.18.

Several brokerages have recently commented on CFG. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $49.00 to $45.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on Citizens Financial Group from $55.00 to $48.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Raymond James restated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $48.00 price target (down previously from $58.00) on shares of Citizens Financial Group in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $49.00 to $43.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $58.00 to $51.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 24th.

Citizens Financial Group Stock Performance

NYSE:CFG opened at $38.63 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $39.08 and a 200 day simple moving average of $43.27. The stock has a market cap of $16.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.75, a PEG ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.74. Citizens Financial Group has a 1-year low of $32.60 and a 1-year high of $49.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56.

Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The bank reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.75 by $0.02. Citizens Financial Group had a net margin of 12.21% and a return on equity of 6.75%. The company had revenue of $1.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.94 billion. Research analysts anticipate that Citizens Financial Group will post 3.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Citizens Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 14th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.35%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. Citizens Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.33%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CFG. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Citizens Financial Group during the third quarter valued at $453,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Citizens Financial Group in the third quarter valued at $89,000. Tidal Investments LLC raised its position in Citizens Financial Group by 292.2% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 69,851 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,869,000 after purchasing an additional 52,039 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in Citizens Financial Group by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 655,600 shares of the bank’s stock worth $28,368,000 after buying an additional 29,940 shares during the period. Finally, Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas bought a new stake in shares of Citizens Financial Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $590,000. Institutional investors own 94.90% of the company’s stock.

Citizens Financial Group Company Profile

Citizens Financial Group, Inc operates as the bank holding company that provides retail and commercial banking products and services to individuals, small businesses, middle-market companies, corporations, and institutions in the United States. The company operates in two segments, Consumer Banking and Commercial Banking.