Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CFG) Shares Sold by Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. decreased its holdings in Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CFG) by 11.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,254 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 790 shares during the quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Citizens Financial Group were worth $274,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Savant Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 81,825 shares of the bank’s stock worth $3,581,000 after purchasing an additional 2,373 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in Citizens Financial Group by 10.6% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 8,284 shares of the bank’s stock worth $363,000 after acquiring an additional 797 shares during the last quarter. Vest Financial LLC raised its stake in Citizens Financial Group by 56.5% in the 4th quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 56,508 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,473,000 after acquiring an additional 20,408 shares during the last quarter. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. purchased a new position in Citizens Financial Group in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd raised its stake in Citizens Financial Group by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 46,019 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,014,000 after acquiring an additional 998 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.90% of the company’s stock.

Citizens Financial Group Price Performance

NYSE:CFG opened at $47.37 on Tuesday. Citizens Financial Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $30.24 and a 52 week high of $49.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.88 billion, a PE ratio of 15.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.10. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $45.77 and its 200-day moving average price is $43.63.

Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 17th. The bank reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $1.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.96 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.85 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Citizens Financial Group, Inc. will post 3.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Citizens Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st will be issued a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 31st. Citizens Financial Group’s payout ratio is 55.45%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on CFG shares. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $53.00 target price on shares of Citizens Financial Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Barclays raised their target price on Citizens Financial Group from $47.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Raymond James restated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $58.00 target price (up previously from $55.00) on shares of Citizens Financial Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Piper Sandler raised their target price on Citizens Financial Group from $48.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on Citizens Financial Group from $53.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Citizens Financial Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.