Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG) Upgraded by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods to "Outperform" Rating

Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, Marketbeat reports. The firm currently has a $57.00 price target on the bank's stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods' price objective points to a potential upside of 19.02% from the stock's current price.

CFG has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Citizens Financial Group from $54.00 to $43.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 7th. The firm moved its midcap bank industry view from Attractive to In-line, saying “higher and faster than expected” tariffs raise recession risks, will weigh on loan growth and in-turn, forward earnings and multiples. The group is “cheap,” but weaker for longer loan growth and inverted yield curve limit upside catalysts. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $48.00 price target (down previously from $58.00) on shares of Citizens Financial Group in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on Citizens Financial Group from $50.00 to $44.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Argus set a $45.00 price target on Citizens Financial Group in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $52.00 to $49.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Citizens Financial Group has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $49.32.

Citizens Financial Group Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE:CFG traded up $0.51 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $47.89. 5,402,683 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,858,138. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.93 billion, a PE ratio of 15.20, a P/E/G ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.76. The business's 50 day moving average is $41.96 and its two-hundred day moving average is $42.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. Citizens Financial Group has a one year low of $32.60 and a one year high of $49.25.

Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 16th. The bank reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.75 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.94 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.94 billion. Citizens Financial Group had a net margin of 12.76% and a return on equity of 6.84%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Citizens Financial Group will post 3.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Citizens Financial Group announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Friday, June 13th that permits the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the bank to purchase up to 8.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Citizens Financial Group

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Salzhauer Michael increased its holdings in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 1,034.7% in the 4th quarter. Salzhauer Michael now owns 179,301 shares of the bank's stock worth $7,846,000 after purchasing an additional 163,500 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 30.3% during the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 11,960 shares of the bank's stock valued at $523,000 after purchasing an additional 2,783 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Citizens Financial Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $6,906,000. Callan Family Office LLC purchased a new position in shares of Citizens Financial Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $200,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 6.2% during the fourth quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 58,432 shares of the bank's stock valued at $2,557,000 after purchasing an additional 3,388 shares during the last quarter. 94.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Citizens Financial Group

Citizens Financial Group, Inc operates as the bank holding company that provides retail and commercial banking products and services to individuals, small businesses, middle-market companies, corporations, and institutions in the United States. The company operates in two segments, Consumer Banking and Commercial Banking.