Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CFG) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Citizens Financial Group has a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy”, with 19 of 20 covering firms recommending the stock and an average 1-year price target of about $70.88.
• The stock was trading at $62.44 and rose 2.7%; it has moved between a one-year low of $39.69 and a high of $68.79, with a market value of $26.4 billion.
• The company recently beat quarterly expectations, reporting $1.13 EPS versus the expected $1.10, while revenue rose 12% year over year to $2.17 billion. Citizens also paid a quarterly dividend of $0.46 per share, or $1.84 annually, for a yield of 2.9%.

Shares of Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CFG - Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nineteen have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $70.8810.

CFG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Citizens Financial Group in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of Citizens Financial Group from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $65.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, March 9th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $80.00 to $73.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Citizens Financial Group from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $68.00 to $68.50 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th.

Citizens Financial Group Stock Up 2.7%

CFG stock opened at $62.44 on Wednesday. Citizens Financial Group has a one year low of $39.69 and a one year high of $68.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.40 billion, a PE ratio of 14.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.85. The company has a fifty day moving average of $62.47 and a 200-day moving average of $60.56.

Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The bank reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $2.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.16 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.77 EPS. The business's revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Citizens Financial Group will post 5.2 EPS for the current year.

Citizens Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 30th were issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 30th. Citizens Financial Group's payout ratio is presently 43.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Michelle Moosally sold 6,050 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 22,565 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,402,640.40. The trade was a 21.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Susan Lamonica sold 13,258 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.04, for a total transaction of $769,494.32. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 165,971 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,632,956.84. The trade was a 7.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.67% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Citizens Financial Group

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CFG. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its position in Citizens Financial Group by 2.4% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 11,531 shares of the bank's stock valued at $472,000 after buying an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in Citizens Financial Group by 6.7% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 8,838 shares of the bank's stock valued at $362,000 after buying an additional 554 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP lifted its position in Citizens Financial Group by 39.5% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 36,932 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,513,000 after buying an additional 10,466 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in Citizens Financial Group by 93.4% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 9,814 shares of the bank's stock valued at $439,000 after buying an additional 4,739 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its position in Citizens Financial Group by 5.2% during the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 65,564 shares of the bank's stock valued at $2,934,000 after buying an additional 3,225 shares in the last quarter. 94.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

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