Regions Financial (NYSE:RF) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to Hold Rating

Regions Financial (NYSE:RF - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued on Sunday.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on RF. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Regions Financial in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. They set a "hold" rating and a $24.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Regions Financial from $28.00 to $26.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 28th. Barclays dropped their target price on Regions Financial from $26.00 to $24.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Regions Financial from $29.00 to $22.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on Regions Financial from $28.00 to $26.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $25.80.

Regions Financial Price Performance

Shares of RF stock opened at $21.47 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.96. Regions Financial has a twelve month low of $17.74 and a twelve month high of $27.96. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $20.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $22.63.

Regions Financial (NYSE:RF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The bank reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.84 billion. Regions Financial had a return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 20.20%. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.37 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Regions Financial will post 2.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Regions Financial

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Inspire Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Regions Financial by 32.4% in the first quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 14,529 shares of the bank's stock valued at $316,000 after acquiring an additional 3,553 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in Regions Financial in the 1st quarter worth approximately $6,716,000. Intrua Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Regions Financial in the 1st quarter worth approximately $501,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in Regions Financial by 23.8% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 6,731 shares of the bank's stock worth $146,000 after purchasing an additional 1,294 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFM Investors Pty Ltd lifted its position in shares of Regions Financial by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 180,282 shares of the bank's stock valued at $3,918,000 after buying an additional 1,520 shares in the last quarter. 79.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Regions Financial

Regions Financial Corporation, a financial holding company, provides banking and bank-related services to individual and corporate customers. It operates through three segments: Corporate Bank, Consumer Bank, and Wealth Management. The Corporate Bank segment offers commercial banking services, such as commercial and industrial, commercial real estate, and investor real estate lending; equipment lease financing; deposit products; and securities underwriting and placement, loan syndication and placement, foreign exchange, derivatives, merger and acquisition, and other advisory services.

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