Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG) Hits New 1-Year High After Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CFG) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The company traded as high as $74.63 and last traded at $74.2280, with a volume of 1482379 shares. The stock had previously closed at $71.12.

The bank reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $2.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.25 billion. Citizens Financial Group had a return on equity of 8.85% and a net margin of 17.18%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.92 EPS.

Citizens Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 30th will be given a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 30th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. Citizens Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.50%.

Citizens Financial Group News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Citizens Financial reported better-than-expected Q2 2026 results, with EPS of $1.30 versus $1.25 expected and revenue of $2.28 billion versus $2.25 billion expected, driven by stronger net interest income and fee growth. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: The company said net income rose 35% year over year to $587 million and EPS increased 41% year over year, reinforcing momentum in profitability. Business Wire article
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts raised price targets after the earnings release, including Keefe, Bruyette & Woods to $90, RBC to $79, Barclays to $81, and Baird to $75, signaling improving Wall Street sentiment. Benzinga article
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts also highlighted a raised net interest margin outlook and solid private bank growth, which may support expectations for continued earnings strength. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.46 per share, underscoring capital return to shareholders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on CFG. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $80.00 target price on shares of Citizens Financial Group in a research report on Monday, July 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $68.50 to $76.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Citigroup cut Citizens Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Citizens Financial Group from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Citizens Financial Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $77.85.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Michelle Moosally sold 6,050 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.16, for a total value of $376,068.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 22,565 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,402,640.40. This represents a 21.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.67% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Citizens Financial Group

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Citizens Financial Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $355,909,000. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake 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. increased its position in shares of 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 during the period. Amundi increased its position in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 136.4% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 3,513,388 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $205,217,000 after purchasing an additional 2,027,255 shares during the period. Finally, Capital International Investors raised its stake in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 32.3% in 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 in the last quarter. 94.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Citizens Financial Group Stock Down 2.8%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.86. The company has a market cap of $30.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.69, a P/E/G ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 0.67. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $66.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $63.59.

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.