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

StockNews.com lowered shares of Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note released on Wednesday.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Citizens Financial Group from $42.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Stephens lifted their price objective on Citizens Financial Group from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Friday, July 19th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Citizens Financial Group from $35.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Citizens Financial Group from $41.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Finally, Raymond James began coverage on Citizens Financial Group in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. They set a market perform rating on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $43.07.

Citizens Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of CFG stock opened at $42.59 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.95 billion, a PE ratio of 16.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.07. Citizens Financial Group has a 52-week low of $22.77 and a 52-week high of $43.96. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $40.95 and its 200 day moving average price is $37.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60.

Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 17th. The bank reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79 by ($0.01). Citizens Financial Group had a net margin of 10.74% and a return on equity of 6.21%. The business had revenue of $1.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.95 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.92 EPS. Citizens Financial Group’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Citizens Financial Group will post 3.22 EPS for the current year.

Citizens Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 31st were issued a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 31st. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.94%. Citizens Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 64.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Citizens Financial Group

In other Citizens Financial Group news, insider Craig Jack Read sold 3,938 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.26, for a total value of $170,357.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 33,620 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,454,401.20. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Citizens Financial Group during the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 262.8% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 936 shares of the bank’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 678 shares during the last quarter. Private Ocean LLC increased its holdings in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 484.4% during the 2nd quarter. Private Ocean LLC now owns 1,011 shares of the bank’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 838 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 714 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ridgewood Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Citizens Financial Group during the 2nd quarter worth $48,000. 94.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.