Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG) Downgraded by StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report issued on Saturday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on CFG. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Barclays downgraded shares of Citizens Financial Group from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating and increased their target price for the stock from $38.00 to $40.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 2nd. Wedbush decreased their target price on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $38.00 to $35.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Argus increased their target price on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $31.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $37.13.

Citizens Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of CFG opened at $34.98 on Friday. Citizens Financial Group has a 1-year low of $22.77 and a 1-year high of $36.38. The stock has a market cap of $16.04 billion, a PE ratio of 12.67 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $33.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $31.07.

Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 17th. The bank reported $0.65 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.75 by ($0.10). Citizens Financial Group had a net margin of 11.52% and a return on equity of 6.62%. The company had revenue of $1.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.96 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.00 earnings per share. Citizens Financial Group’s revenue was down 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Citizens Financial Group will post 3.24 EPS for the current year.

Citizens Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 1st will be given a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 30th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.80%. Citizens Financial Group’s payout ratio is currently 60.87%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Citizens Financial Group

In other Citizens Financial Group news, insider Craig Jack Read sold 4,508 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.54, for a total value of $151,198.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 43,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,471,902.90. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CFG. Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 100.8% during the 3rd quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 988 shares of the bank’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 496 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Citizens Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Quarry LP increased its stake in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 183.1% during the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,104 shares of the bank’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 714 shares in the last quarter. Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Citizens Financial Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC purchased a new position in shares of Citizens Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. 94.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.