Vista Investment Partners II LLC Takes $2.59 Million Position in Citizens Financial Group, Inc. $CFG

Key Points

• Vista Investment Partners II LLC opened a new stake in Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG) in Q4, purchasing 44,338 shares worth approximately $2.59 million.
• Analysts are broadly positive—20 Buy ratings and 1 Hold give a consensus of "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of about $69.14, and several firms recently raised targets into the $67–72 range.
• Insider activity and ownership: director/officer Susan Lamonica sold 13,258 shares (~$769k) on March 11, while institutional investors hold 94.90% of the stock and insiders own just 0.67%.

Vista Investment Partners II LLC bought a new position in shares of Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CFG - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 44,338 shares of the bank's stock, valued at approximately $2,590,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. True Wealth Design LLC grew its holdings in Citizens Financial Group by 891.5% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 585 shares of the bank's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 526 shares during the period. Capital A Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Citizens Financial Group by 3,970.0% during the second quarter. Capital A Wealth Management LLC now owns 814 shares of the bank's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 794 shares during the period. State of Wyoming acquired a new stake in Citizens Financial Group during the second quarter worth about $39,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its holdings in Citizens Financial Group by 632.0% during the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 710 shares of the bank's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 613 shares during the period. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Citizens Financial Group by 2,703.0% during the second quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 925 shares of the bank's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 892 shares during the period. 94.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Citizens Financial Group

In other news, insider Susan Lamonica sold 13,258 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.04, for a total value of $769,494.32. Following the transaction, the insider owned 165,971 shares in the company, valued at $9,632,956.84. This trade represents a 7.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.67% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on CFG shares. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Citizens Financial Group from $60.00 to $67.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Citigroup raised their price objective on Citizens Financial Group from $65.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on Citizens Financial Group from $68.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on Citizens Financial Group from $71.00 to $63.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, Argus raised their price objective on Citizens Financial Group from $60.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $69.14.

Citizens Financial Group Stock Performance

NYSE CFG opened at $65.02 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $27.63 billion, a PE ratio of 16.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 0.70. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $61.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $57.57. Citizens Financial Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $33.71 and a 1-year high of $68.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.84.

Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 21st. The bank reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $2.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.16 billion. Citizens Financial Group had a return on equity of 7.81% and a net margin of 15.19%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.85 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Citizens Financial Group, Inc. will post 3.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Citizens Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 4th were given a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 4th. Citizens Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.55%.

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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