Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CFG) is Salzhauer Michael’s 8th Largest Position

Salzhauer Michael increased its position in shares of Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CFG) by 1,034.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 179,301 shares of the bank’s stock after buying an additional 163,500 shares during the period. Citizens Financial Group comprises about 2.7% of Salzhauer Michael’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Salzhauer Michael’s holdings in Citizens Financial Group were worth $7,846,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new stake in shares of Citizens Financial Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Citizens Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. purchased a new position in Citizens Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Citizens Financial Group in the third quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Citizens Financial Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.90% of the company’s stock.

Citizens Financial Group Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of Citizens Financial Group stock opened at $47.96 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $21.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.10. Citizens Financial Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $30.24 and a 52-week high of $49.25. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $45.77 and its 200-day simple moving average is $43.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56.

Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 17th. The bank reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.02. Citizens Financial Group had a return on equity of 6.75% and a net margin of 12.21%. The business had revenue of $1.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.96 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.85 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Citizens Financial Group, Inc. will post 3.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Citizens Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.50%. Citizens Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 55.45%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Citigroup increased their price objective on Citizens Financial Group from $50.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Citizens Financial Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Compass Point boosted their price objective on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $45.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $48.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Citizens Financial Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $49.00.

About Citizens Financial Group

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.