Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CFG) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts give Citizens Financial Group an average recommendation of Moderate Buy based on 21 brokerages (20 buy, 1 hold), with an average 1‑year price target of about $69.14.
• Citizens reported quarterly EPS of $1.13 (vs. $1.11 consensus) and revenue of $2.16 billion (up 8.6% year‑over‑year), and analysts project roughly $3.92 EPS for the current year.
• The bank pays a quarterly dividend of $0.46 ($1.84 annualized) for a yield of about 2.8% and a payout ratio near 47.6%.

Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CFG - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the twenty-one brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $69.1364.

CFG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $65.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. New Street Research set a $73.00 price target on shares of Citizens Financial Group in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Citizens Financial Group from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Argus boosted their price target on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $60.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their price target on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $71.00 to $63.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 23rd.

Citizens Financial Group Price Performance

CFG opened at $64.72 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $61.57 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $57.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.85. Citizens Financial Group has a 52 week low of $33.95 and a 52 week high of $68.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.51 billion, a PE ratio of 16.72, a P/E/G ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 0.70.

Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 21st. The bank reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.02. Citizens Financial Group had a net margin of 15.19% and a return on equity of 7.81%. The firm had revenue of $2.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.16 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.85 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, 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 was paid on Wednesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 4th were issued a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 4th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Citizens Financial Group's payout ratio is 47.55%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Susan Lamonica sold 13,258 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.04, for a total value of $769,494.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 165,971 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,632,956.84. The trade was a 7.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.67% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Citizens Financial Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Channing Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Citizens Financial Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $7,528,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Citizens Financial Group by 25.7% in the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 687,602 shares of the bank's stock valued at $36,553,000 after acquiring an additional 140,641 shares in the last quarter. National Pension Service lifted its position in Citizens Financial Group by 33.5% in the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 135,208 shares of the bank's stock valued at $7,188,000 after acquiring an additional 33,923 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in Citizens Financial Group by 37.2% in the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 479,415 shares of the bank's stock valued at $25,284,000 after acquiring an additional 129,995 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Citizens Financial Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $60,434,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.90% of the company's stock.

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.

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