Zacks Investment Management Sells 15,840 Shares of Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CFG)

Zacks Investment Management lessened its stake in shares of Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CFG) by 2.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 589,106 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 15,840 shares during the quarter. Zacks Investment Management owned about 0.13% of Citizens Financial Group worth $25,779,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Citizens Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. acquired a new stake in Citizens Financial Group in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Citizens Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $47,000. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Citizens Financial Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Citizens Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth $66,000. Institutional investors own 94.90% of the company’s stock.

Citizens Financial Group Stock Performance

NYSE CFG opened at $35.43 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $15.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.69, a PEG ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.81. Citizens Financial Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $32.60 and a twelve month high of $49.25. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $41.36 and a 200 day simple moving average of $43.66. 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 quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 16th. The bank reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.75 by $0.02. Citizens Financial Group had a return on equity of 6.75% and a net margin of 12.21%. The company had revenue of $1.94 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.94 billion. Sell-side analysts expect that Citizens Financial Group, Inc. will post 3.92 EPS for the current year.

Citizens Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 14th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be given a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.74%. Citizens Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 55.45%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CFG has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Citizens Financial Group from $53.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $58.00 to $51.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $53.00 target price on shares of Citizens Financial Group in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $60.00 to $54.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Raymond James reissued a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $58.00 price objective (up from $55.00) on shares of Citizens Financial Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Nine equities research 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. According to MarketBeat.com, Citizens Financial Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $49.06.

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.