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

Shares of Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CFG) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-one analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eighteen have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $68.7727.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on CFG shares. Citigroup upped their price target on Citizens Financial Group from $65.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Argus upped their target price on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $60.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $60.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. New Street Research set a $73.00 price objective on shares of Citizens Financial Group in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd.

Citizens Financial Group Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of CFG opened at $65.27 on Monday. Citizens Financial Group has a 1-year low of $32.60 and a 1-year high of $68.79. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $62.17 and its 200-day moving average price is $55.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.87, a PEG ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 0.72.

Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 21st. The bank reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.02. Citizens Financial Group had a return on equity of 7.81% and a net margin of 15.19%.The business had revenue of $2.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.16 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.85 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Citizens Financial Group will post 3.92 EPS for the current year.

Citizens Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 4th were given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 4th. Citizens Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.55%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Citizens Financial Group

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wick Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Citizens Financial Group in the 4th quarter worth about $1,529,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Citizens Financial Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $240,000. Compound Planning Inc. increased its stake in Citizens Financial Group by 14.8% during the 4th quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 6,150 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $359,000 after purchasing an additional 793 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Citizens Financial Group by 95.5% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 179,607 shares of the bank’s stock worth $10,491,000 after buying an additional 87,726 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its holdings in Citizens Financial Group by 85.6% in the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 156,521 shares of the bank’s stock worth $9,142,000 after buying an additional 72,184 shares during the last quarter. 94.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Citizens Financial Group Company Profile

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.