Citizens Financial Group, Inc. $CFG Shares Sold by Kempner Capital Management Inc.

Kempner Capital Management Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CFG) by 47.0% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 62,575 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 55,504 shares during the period. Citizens Financial Group makes up 2.8% of Kempner Capital Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. Kempner Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Citizens Financial Group were worth $3,326,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Investors Research Corp raised its stake in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 344.8% in the second quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 645 shares of the bank’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont increased its holdings in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 177.5% in the second quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 641 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 410 shares in the last quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC raised its position in Citizens Financial Group by 16,900.0% in the 2nd quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 680 shares of the bank’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 676 shares during the last quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in Citizens Financial Group by 72.4% during the 2nd quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 736 shares of the bank’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 309 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital A Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Citizens Financial Group by 3,970.0% in the 2nd quarter. Capital A Wealth Management LLC now owns 814 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 794 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.90% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on CFG shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Citizens Financial Group in a research report on Monday. Bank of America upgraded shares of Citizens Financial Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $52.00 to $65.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Baird R W lowered shares of Citizens Financial Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Citizens Financial Group in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on shares of Citizens Financial Group in a report on Wednesday, September 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $61.00 price objective on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $57.57.

Citizens Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of CFG stock opened at $59.81 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $25.69 billion, a PE ratio of 16.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.74. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $54.10 and a 200-day moving average of $50.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.84. Citizens Financial Group, Inc. has a one year low of $32.60 and a one year high of $60.10.

Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 15th. The bank reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.02. Citizens Financial Group had a net margin of 14.17% and a return on equity of 7.48%. The business had revenue of $2.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.10 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.79 EPS. Citizens Financial Group’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Citizens Financial Group, Inc. will post 3.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Citizens Financial Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 29th were given a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, October 29th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. This is an increase from Citizens Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. Citizens Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.54%.

Citizens Financial Group Company Profile

Citizens Financial Group, Inc (NYSE: CFG) is a bank holding company that provides a broad range of banking and financial services to individuals, small and middle-market businesses, corporations and institutional clients. Headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, Citizens conducts its banking operations principally through its primary banking subsidiary, Citizens Bank, and serves customers through a combination of branch locations, ATMs and digital channels. The company is publicly traded and operates under the regulatory framework applicable to U.S.