Junto Capital Management LP Purchases Shares of 762,065 Citizens Financial Group, Inc. $CFG

Junto Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CFG) in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 762,065 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $40,511,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its stake in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 52.3% during the 3rd quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 37,330 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,988,000 after buying an additional 12,822 shares during the last quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 179.2% during the 3rd quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP now owns 76,119 shares of the bank’s stock worth $4,046,000 after buying an additional 48,852 shares during the period. Capitolis Liquid Global Markets LLC acquired a new position in Citizens Financial Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $16,958,000. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. grew its stake in Citizens Financial Group by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. now owns 89,976 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $4,783,000 after buying an additional 2,507 shares during the last quarter. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System raised its holdings in Citizens Financial Group by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 763,826 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $40,605,000 after acquiring an additional 6,029 shares during the period. 94.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Citizens Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CFG opened at $55.59 on Monday. Citizens Financial Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $32.60 and a 12-month high of $68.79. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $62.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $56.67. The firm has a market cap of $23.63 billion, a PE ratio of 14.37, a PEG ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 21st. The bank reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $2.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.16 billion. Citizens Financial Group had a net margin of 15.19% and a return on equity of 7.81%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.85 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Citizens Financial Group, Inc. will post 3.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Citizens Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 4th were issued a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 4th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. Citizens Financial Group’s payout ratio is currently 47.55%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Susan Lamonica sold 13,258 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.04, for a total transaction of $769,494.32. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 165,971 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,632,956.84. This represents a 7.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.67% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CFG has been the subject of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $73.00 price objective on shares of Citizens Financial Group in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. New Street Research set a $73.00 target price on Citizens Financial Group in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. DA Davidson increased their target price on Citizens Financial Group from $65.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Argus lifted their price target on Citizens Financial Group from $60.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on Citizens Financial Group from $70.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Twenty research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $69.95.

Citizens Financial Group 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.