AustralianSuper Pty Ltd Sells 2,556,257 Shares of Citizens Financial Group, Inc. $CFG

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd lowered its holdings in shares of Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CFG) by 91.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 227,763 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 2,556,257 shares during the period. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd owned about 0.05% of Citizens Financial Group worth $12,108,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Citizens Financial Group by 2.4% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 11,531 shares of the bank’s stock worth $472,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 6.7% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 8,838 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $362,000 after buying an additional 554 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP boosted its position in Citizens Financial Group by 39.5% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 36,932 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,513,000 after purchasing an additional 10,466 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its position in Citizens Financial Group by 93.4% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 9,814 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $439,000 after buying an additional 4,739 shares during the period. Finally, Pinnacle Associates Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 78.7% during the 2nd quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 19,735 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $883,000 after buying an additional 8,693 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.90% of the company’s stock.

Citizens Financial Group Stock Down 2.5%

Shares of CFG opened at $59.59 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $62.57 and a 200 day moving average price of $56.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.40, a PEG ratio of 0.50 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.85. Citizens Financial Group, Inc. has a one year low of $32.60 and a one year high of $68.79.

Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 21st. The bank reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.02. The business 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 business’s revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.85 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Citizens Financial Group, Inc. will post 3.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Citizens Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 4th were issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 4th. Citizens Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is 47.55%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $68.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded Citizens Financial Group from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Citizens Financial Group from $60.00 to $67.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, New Street Research set a $73.00 target price on shares of Citizens Financial Group in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Nineteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $69.73.

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.