Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CFG) Sees Significant Drop in Short Interest

Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CFG) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 14,297,613 shares, a decrease of 14.8% from the January 15th total of 16,781,880 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 6,391,371 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.2 days. Approximately 3.4% of the company’s stock are sold short. Approximately 3.4% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 6,391,371 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.2 days.

Citizens Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CFG traded up $0.49 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $64.88. 3,086,791 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,554,171. 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 has a one year low of $32.60 and a one year high of $68.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.72, a PEG ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 0.72. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $61.77 and a two-hundred day moving average of $55.15.

Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 21st. The bank reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $2.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.85 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Citizens Financial Group will post 3.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Citizens Financial Group Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on CFG shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $73.00 target price on shares of Citizens Financial Group in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. New Street Research set a $73.00 price objective on shares of Citizens Financial Group in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Citizens Financial Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Citizens Financial Group from $60.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, DA Davidson raised their price objective on Citizens Financial Group from $65.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $68.77.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Citizens Financial Group

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

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.