UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Grows Stock Position in Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CFG)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in shares of Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CFG - Free Report) by 7.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,378,632 shares of the bank's stock after purchasing an additional 233,997 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned 0.77% of Citizens Financial Group worth $147,849,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Diversify Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Citizens Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth $214,000. Ballentine Partners LLC grew its stake in Citizens Financial Group by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 7,777 shares of the bank's stock worth $340,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares during the period. Atomi Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 15.9% in the fourth quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,521 shares of the bank's stock valued at $285,000 after purchasing an additional 896 shares in the last quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Citizens Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth $224,000. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 62,662 shares of the bank's stock valued at $2,742,000 after buying an additional 2,950 shares during the period. 94.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on CFG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Citizens Financial Group from $49.00 to $43.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Citizens Financial Group from $55.00 to $48.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Cowen started coverage on Citizens Financial Group in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. TD Cowen began coverage on Citizens Financial Group in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. They set a "buy" rating and a $57.00 target price for the company. Finally, Raymond James reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating and set a $48.00 price target (down from $58.00) on shares of Citizens Financial Group in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $47.50.

Citizens Financial Group Stock Up 0.5%

NYSE CFG traded up $0.21 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $39.94. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,114,474 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,608,609. Citizens Financial Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $32.60 and a twelve month high of $49.25. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $38.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $42.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.18, a PEG ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56.

Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The bank reported $0.77 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.75 by $0.02. Citizens Financial Group had a return on equity of 6.75% and a net margin of 12.21%. The firm had revenue of $1.94 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.94 billion. Analysts anticipate that Citizens Financial Group, Inc. will post 3.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Citizens Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 14th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th were given a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 30th. Citizens Financial Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 53.33%.

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.