Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Increases Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG) Price Target to $72.00

Key Points

• Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised its price target on Citizens Financial Group to $72 from $70 and maintained an "outperform" rating, implying roughly an 11.96% upside from the prior close.
• Citizens beat Q1 estimates with EPS of $1.13 (vs. $1.10) and revenue of $2.17 billion (+12% YoY) and declared a $0.46 quarterly dividend, but higher operating expenses and margin concerns weighed on the stock.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive—19 analysts rate CFG a Buy and one a Hold—with a consensus price target of $70.48 while the stock traded near $64.31 at the time of the report.

Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG - Get Free Report) had its target price raised by equities research analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $70.00 to $72.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "outperform" rating on the bank's stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods' target price points to a potential upside of 11.96% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on CFG. Robert W. Baird raised Citizens Financial Group from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $65.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Citizens Financial Group from $60.00 to $67.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Weiss Ratings raised Citizens Financial Group from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. TD Cowen increased their target price on Citizens Financial Group from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Evercore upped their price objective on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $69.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $70.48.

Citizens Financial Group Price Performance

CFG stock opened at $64.31 on Friday. Citizens Financial Group has a 1 year low of $33.95 and a 1 year high of $68.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.33 billion, a PE ratio of 16.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 0.70. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $61.47 and a 200-day simple moving average of $57.98. 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 quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The bank reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.03. Citizens Financial Group had a return on equity of 7.81% and a net margin of 15.19%.The company had revenue of $2.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.16 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.77 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 12.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Citizens Financial Group will post 3.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Susan Lamonica sold 13,258 shares of Citizens Financial Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.04, for a total transaction of $769,494.32. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 165,971 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,632,956.84. This trade represents a 7.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.67% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Citizens Financial Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. purchased a new position in shares of Citizens Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Citizens Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Activest Wealth Management increased its stake in Citizens Financial Group by 5,600.0% during the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 513 shares of the bank's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 504 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC increased its stake 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 last quarter. Finally, DV Equities LLC acquired a new stake in Citizens Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. 94.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Citizens Financial Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting Citizens Financial Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat on profit and revenue — CFG reported EPS of $1.13 (vs. ~$1.10 consensus) and revenue of $2.17B, with net income of $517M (up ~39% YoY) and revenue +12% YoY, signaling solid underlying performance. TMCNet Q1 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Net interest income and fee income strength — management cited healthy NII and fee income contributions that helped drive the beat, supporting margin expansion potential as rates remain favorable. Zacks: NII & Fee Income
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend declared — CFG announced a quarterly dividend of $0.46 per share (ex-dividend Apr 30, payable May 14), implying a ~2.9% yield, which supports income‑oriented investors.
• Neutral Sentiment: Detail access — full earnings slide deck and the Q1 earnings call transcript are available for investors who want line‑by‑line commentary from management on loans, NII drivers, and expense trends. Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst revisions ahead of the print — several analysts had revised forecasts upward into the quarter, which raised expectations and could amplify share moves around the release. Benzinga: Analyst Revisions
• Negative Sentiment: Rising expenses — the beat came alongside higher operating expenses, which analysts highlighted as a drag on margins and the primary reason for the stock weakness in early trading. Zacks: Expenses Weigh
• Negative Sentiment: Share reaction — despite the beat, shares moved lower on the print (investors focused on costs and capital/efficiency metrics such as a mid‑single digit ROE), suggesting the market is looking for clearer proof of sustained margin improvement. Investing.com: Market Reaction

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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