Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CFG) Short Interest Down 14.8% in January

Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CFG) saw a significant decline in short interest in January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 14,297,613 shares, a decline of 14.8% from the January 15th total of 16,781,880 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 6,391,371 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.2 days. Currently, 3.4% of the shares of the company are short sold. Currently, 3.4% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 6,391,371 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.2 days.

Institutional Trading of Citizens Financial Group

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CFG. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 6,078 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $355,000 after acquiring an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. AA Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in Citizens Financial Group by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. AA Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,657 shares of the bank’s stock worth $272,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the period. Inscription Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Citizens Financial Group by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Inscription Capital LLC now owns 10,902 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $637,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC now owns 19,694 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,150,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the period. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust increased its holdings in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 19.8% during the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 1,107 shares of the bank’s stock worth $65,000 after buying an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. 94.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Citizens Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CFG opened at $65.09 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 0.72. Citizens Financial Group has a 52 week low of $32.60 and a 52 week high of $68.79. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $61.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $54.90. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 21st. The bank reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.02. Citizens Financial Group had a net margin of 15.19% and a return on equity of 7.81%. The company had revenue of $2.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.16 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.85 EPS. Citizens Financial Group’s revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Citizens Financial Group will post 3.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Citizens Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 4th will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 4th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. Citizens Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.55%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on CFG shares. Robert W. Baird restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $60.00 price target on shares of Citizens Financial Group in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Citizens Financial Group from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Bank of America increased their target price on Citizens Financial Group from $70.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $62.50 to $71.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Citizens Financial Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $68.77.

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.