Citizens Financial Group Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:CFG)

Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CFG) saw some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Stock investors purchased 5,041 call options on the company. This is an increase of 297% compared to the typical volume of 1,269 call options.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Citizens Financial Group news, insider Michelle Moosally sold 6,050 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.16, for a total transaction of $376,068.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.67% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Citizens Financial Group

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its position in Citizens Financial Group by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 6,078 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $355,000 after buying an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. AA Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Citizens Financial Group by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. AA Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,657 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $272,000 after buying an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Inscription Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Inscription Capital LLC now owns 10,902 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $637,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC now owns 19,694 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,150,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust raised its stake in Citizens Financial Group by 19.8% during the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 1,107 shares of the bank’s stock worth $65,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares during the period. 94.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Citizens Financial Group from $68.50 to $76.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $80.00 price objective on shares of Citizens Financial Group in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on Citizens Financial Group from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $77.85.

Citizens Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CFG opened at $72.34 on Friday. Citizens Financial Group has a 52-week low of $45.90 and a 52-week high of $74.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.69, a P/E/G ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $66.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $63.59.

Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 16th. The bank reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $2.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.25 billion. Citizens Financial Group had a net margin of 17.18% and a return on equity of 8.85%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.92 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Citizens Financial Group will post 5.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Citizens Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 30th will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 30th. Citizens Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is 43.50%.

Key Citizens Financial Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting Citizens Financial Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Citizens Financial reported better-than-expected Q2 2026 results, with EPS of $1.30 versus $1.25 expected and revenue of $2.28 billion versus $2.25 billion expected, driven by stronger net interest income and fee growth. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: The company said net income rose 35% year over year to $587 million and EPS increased 41% year over year, reinforcing momentum in profitability. Business Wire article
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts raised price targets after the earnings release, including Keefe, Bruyette & Woods to $90, RBC to $79, Barclays to $81, and Baird to $75, signaling improving Wall Street sentiment. Benzinga article
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts also highlighted a raised net interest margin outlook and solid private bank growth, which may support expectations for continued earnings strength. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.46 per share, underscoring capital return to shareholders.

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.