Sapient Capital LLC Takes $278,000 Position in Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CFG)

Sapient Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CFG) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 8,397 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $278,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lindbrook Capital LLC raised its position in Citizens Financial Group by 100.8% during the third quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 988 shares of the bank’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 496 shares during the period. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Citizens Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Clear Street Markets LLC lifted its stake in Citizens Financial Group by 93.6% in the 1st quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC now owns 964 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 466 shares in the last quarter. Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Citizens Financial Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in Citizens Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Craig Jack Read sold 4,508 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.54, for a total transaction of $151,198.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 43,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,471,902.90. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

Citizens Financial Group Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of Citizens Financial Group stock opened at $32.99 on Tuesday. Citizens Financial Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $22.77 and a fifty-two week high of $36.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.61 and a beta of 1.38. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $33.20 and a 200 day moving average of $30.50.

Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 17th. The bank reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by ($0.26). The business had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2 billion. Citizens Financial Group had a return on equity of 7.40% and a net margin of 13.19%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.25 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Citizens Financial Group, Inc. will post 3.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Citizens Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 31st were given a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.09%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 30th. Citizens Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 54.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group raised their target price on Citizens Financial Group from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 18th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $33.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $35.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $31.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 18th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of Citizens Financial Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $36.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, February 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Citizens Financial Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $35.88.

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.