Candriam S.C.A. Decreases Stake in Regions Financial Co. (NYSE:RF)

Candriam S.C.A. lessened its stake in Regions Financial Co. (NYSE:RF) by 7.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 110,642 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 8,451 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Regions Financial were worth $2,602,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Y.D. More Investments Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Regions Financial by 122.9% in the 4th quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 1,150 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 634 shares during the period. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Regions Financial during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Regions Financial during the 3rd quarter worth about $37,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Regions Financial during the 3rd quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Quarry LP raised its position in shares of Regions Financial by 29.5% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,729 shares of the bank’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 394 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.39% of the company’s stock.

Regions Financial Trading Up 0.7 %

NYSE:RF opened at $22.10 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $20.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.39, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.19. 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’s 50 day simple moving average is $23.90 and its 200-day simple moving average is $24.06. Regions Financial Co. has a 12-month low of $17.72 and a 12-month high of $27.96.

Regions Financial (NYSE:RF) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 17th. The bank reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.55 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $1.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.86 billion. Regions Financial had a return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 20.20%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.39 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Regions Financial Co. will post 2.26 EPS for the current year.

Regions Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.53%. Regions Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.55%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

RF has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $32.00 target price (up previously from $28.00) on shares of Regions Financial in a research report on Monday, December 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Regions Financial from $29.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Citigroup raised their target price on Regions Financial from $26.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Regions Financial from $24.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Compass Point lifted their price target on Regions Financial from $25.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $27.67.

Regions Financial Company Profile

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.