Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. Invests $17.49 Million in Citizens Financial Group, Inc. $CFG

Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. acquired a new position in shares of Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CFG) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 299,377 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $17,489,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Capital World Investors boosted its position in Citizens Financial Group by 1.7% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 37,289,711 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,982,532,000 after purchasing an additional 614,181 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in Citizens Financial Group by 1.7% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 24,064,513 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,279,270,000 after purchasing an additional 393,158 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Citizens Financial Group by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,361,142 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $661,052,000 after purchasing an additional 32,264 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in Citizens Financial Group by 7.5% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 7,220,986 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $423,222,000 after purchasing an additional 505,614 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ninety One UK Ltd boosted its position in Citizens Financial Group by 13.1% during the fourth quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 6,574,714 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $384,029,000 after purchasing an additional 763,098 shares during the last quarter. 94.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on CFG shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Citizens Financial Group from $80.00 to $73.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Weiss Ratings raised Citizens Financial Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $75.00 price target on shares of Citizens Financial Group in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Citizens Financial Group from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, DA Davidson upped their price objective on Citizens Financial Group from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Nineteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Citizens Financial Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $70.88.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Susan Lamonica sold 13,258 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.04, for a total transaction of $769,494.32. Following the sale, the insider owned 165,971 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,632,956.84. This trade represents a 7.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Michelle Moosally sold 6,050 shares of the firm’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 sale, the insider directly owned 22,565 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,402,640.40. This trade represents a 21.14% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.67% of the company’s stock.

Citizens Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CFG opened at $62.17 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $26.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 0.68. 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, Inc. has a 1-year low of $39.40 and a 1-year high of $68.79. The business’s 50 day moving average is $62.39 and its 200-day moving average is $60.50.

Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 16th. The bank reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.03. Citizens Financial Group had a return on equity of 8.31% and a net margin of 16.21%.The firm had revenue of $2.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.16 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.77 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Citizens Financial Group, Inc. will post 5.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Citizens Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 30th were issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 30th. Citizens Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.50%.

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.