Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CFG) Holdings Cut by Salzhauer Michael

Salzhauer Michael lowered its stake in shares of Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CFG - Free Report) by 89.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,301 shares of the bank's stock after selling 160,000 shares during the period. Salzhauer Michael's holdings in Citizens Financial Group were worth $791,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of CFG. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Citizens Financial Group during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Grove Bank & Trust increased its position in Citizens Financial Group by 97.1% in the 1st quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 678 shares of the bank's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 334 shares during the last quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC raised its stake in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 673.0% during the 4th quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 889 shares of the bank's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 774 shares in the last quarter. NBT Bank N A NY acquired a new stake in shares of Citizens Financial Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $45,000. Finally, Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Citizens Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $51,000. 94.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Citizens Financial Group Trading Up 0.5%

Citizens Financial Group stock opened at $43.14 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $39.74 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $42.13. 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, Inc. has a 12 month low of $32.60 and a 12 month high of $49.25. The stock has a market cap of $18.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 0.75.

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

Citizens Financial Group announced that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Friday, June 13th that allows the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the bank to buy up to 8.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Citizens Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 14th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th were issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 30th. Citizens Financial Group's payout ratio is 53.33%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Citizens Financial Group in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. They set a "buy" rating and a $57.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of 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 reiterated a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $48.00 price objective (down from $58.00) on shares of Citizens Financial Group in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on Citizens Financial Group from $49.00 to $45.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on Citizens Financial Group from $50.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $47.89.

Citizens Financial Group Company Profile

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.

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