B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Increases Stock Holdings in Regions Financial Corporation $RF

Key Points

• B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG increased its stake in Regions Financial by 98.2% in Q4, buying 124,236 shares to hold 250,809 shares worth $6.806 million.
• Regions reported Q earnings of $0.62 EPS, beating estimates by $0.01, with revenue of $1.87 billion (slightly below expectations) and a reported ROE of 12.7% and net margin of 23.13%.
• The bank declared a quarterly dividend of $0.265 (annualized $1.06) for a 3.7% yield, while analyst consensus is a "Hold" with an average price target of $30.12.

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG lifted its stake in shares of Regions Financial Corporation (NYSE:RF - Free Report) by 98.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 250,809 shares of the bank's stock after buying an additional 124,236 shares during the quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG's holdings in Regions Financial were worth $6,806,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Regions Financial during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. United Community Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Regions Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new stake in Regions Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Spire Wealth Management grew its stake in Regions Financial by 91.5% during the 4th quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 1,166 shares of the bank's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 557 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Princeton Global Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Regions Financial by 260.4% during the 4th quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 1,182 shares of the bank's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 854 shares in the last quarter. 79.39% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on RF shares. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Regions Financial from $29.00 to $31.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Regions Financial from $37.00 to $34.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a "market perform" rating and set a $31.00 price objective on shares of Regions Financial in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Barclays raised their price objective on Regions Financial from $27.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Finally, UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $30.00 price objective on shares of Regions Financial in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Regions Financial presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $30.12.

Regions Financial Price Performance

Shares of NYSE RF opened at $28.41 on Friday. Regions Financial Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $19.83 and a fifty-two week high of $31.53. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $27.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $26.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The firm has a market cap of $24.53 billion, a PE ratio of 11.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.03.

Regions Financial (NYSE:RF - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, April 17th. The bank reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $1.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.92 billion. Regions Financial had a return on equity of 12.70% and a net margin of 23.13%.The business's revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.54 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Regions Financial Corporation will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Regions Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be given a $0.265 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 1st. This represents a $1.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.7%. Regions Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.17%.

About Regions Financial

Regions Financial Corporation NYSE: RF is a U.S. bank holding company headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, that provides a broad range of banking and financial services. Its primary banking subsidiary, Regions Bank, serves retail and commercial customers through a combination of branch and ATM networks, digital channels and relationship-based delivery. The company offers deposit accounts, consumer and commercial loans, mortgage origination and servicing, and payment and treasury services.

In addition to core banking, Regions offers wealth management, trust and brokerage services, insurance solutions, and capital markets capabilities to corporate and institutional clients.

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