Robert W. Baird Reiterates "Neutral" Rating for Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG)

Key Points

• Robert W. Baird reiterated a Neutral rating on Citizens Financial Group and kept a $72 price target, implying only modest upside from the prior close.
• Other analysts remain generally constructive: several firms raised targets or maintained bullish ratings, and MarketBeat says CFG has a consensus Moderate Buy rating with an average price target of $72.72.
• Citizens Financial Group recently reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $1.13 per share, while the stock has traded near its 52-week high around the low $70s.

Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "neutral" rating reissued by analysts at Robert W. Baird in a research report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $72.00 target price on the bank's stock. Robert W. Baird's price objective points to a potential upside of 1.46% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on CFG. Citigroup raised their price target on Citizens Financial Group from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $75.00 price objective on shares of Citizens Financial Group in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. DA Davidson raised their target price on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Citizens Financial Group from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $68.00 to $68.50 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $72.72.

Citizens Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of CFG opened at $70.97 on Monday. Citizens Financial Group has a 1 year low of $45.90 and a 1 year high of $72.46. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $65.12 and a 200-day simple moving average of $62.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.01 billion, a PE ratio of 16.78, a PEG ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 0.67.

Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 net margin of 16.21% and a return on equity of 8.31%. The firm had revenue of $2.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.16 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.77 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 12.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Citizens Financial Group will post 5.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Citizens Financial Group

In other Citizens Financial Group news, insider Michelle Moosally sold 6,050 shares of Citizens Financial Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.16, for a total value of $376,068.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 22,565 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,402,640.40. This trade represents a 21.14% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.67% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Citizens Financial Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Citizens Financial Group by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 11,531 shares of the bank's stock valued at $472,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in Citizens Financial Group by 6.7% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 8,838 shares of the bank's stock worth $362,000 after acquiring an additional 554 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP lifted its holdings in Citizens Financial Group by 39.5% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 36,932 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,513,000 after acquiring an additional 10,466 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in Citizens Financial Group by 93.4% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 9,814 shares of the bank's stock valued at $439,000 after purchasing an additional 4,739 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its position in Citizens Financial Group by 5.2% during the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 65,564 shares of the bank's stock worth $2,934,000 after purchasing an additional 3,225 shares in the last quarter. 94.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Citizens Financial Group

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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