Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Cantor Fitzgerald Analyst Says

Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG) had its price target hoisted by research analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald from $75.00 to $80.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the bank’s stock. Cantor Fitzgerald’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 7.69% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other research analysts have also commented on CFG. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $68.50 to $76.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. DA Davidson increased their price objective on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Citizens Financial Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Citigroup downgraded shares of Citizens Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Citizens Financial Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $75.10.

Citizens Financial Group Stock Performance

Citizens Financial Group stock opened at $74.28 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $66.25 and its 200-day moving average is $63.53. The company has a market cap of $31.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.84. Citizens Financial Group has a 12 month low of $45.90 and a 12 month high of $74.70.

Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 16th. The bank reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.05. Citizens Financial Group had a return on equity of 8.31% and a net margin of 16.21%.The business had revenue of $2.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.25 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.92 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Citizens Financial Group will post 5.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Michelle Moosally sold 6,050 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.16, for a total transaction of $376,068.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 22,565 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,402,640.40. The trade was a 21.14% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.67% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Citizens Financial Group

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Citizens Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth $355,909,000. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Citizens Financial Group by 56.9% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 7,722,559 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $451,075,000 after purchasing an additional 2,799,050 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Citizens Financial Group by 89.4% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,731,592 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $276,372,000 after purchasing an additional 2,232,806 shares in the last quarter. Amundi increased its stake in Citizens Financial Group by 136.4% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 3,513,388 shares of the bank’s stock worth $205,217,000 after buying an additional 2,027,255 shares during the period. Finally, Capital International Investors increased its stake in Citizens Financial Group by 32.3% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 8,000,750 shares of the bank’s stock worth $467,389,000 after buying an additional 1,953,372 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.90% of the company’s stock.

More Citizens Financial Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting Citizens Financial Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Citizens Financial beat Q2 earnings estimates with EPS of $1.30 versus $1.25 expected, while revenue rose 12.1% year over year and net income climbed 35%, signaling solid operating momentum. Article title
• Positive Sentiment: Management’s raised net interest margin outlook added to optimism, suggesting profitability could improve further in coming quarters. Article title
• Positive Sentiment: Higher net interest income and fee income were key drivers of the profit jump, indicating stronger core banking revenue and healthier business trends. Article title
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup? No—Cantor Fitzgerald raised its price target on CFG to $80 and reiterated an overweight rating, reinforcing a bullish analyst view after the results. Article title
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusual call option activity ahead of the earnings release suggests traders were positioning for upside, but it does not by itself change the company’s fundamentals.

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.