Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE:COF) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE:COF) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-four ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $259.3636.

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Capital One Financial from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Capital One Financial from $310.00 to $295.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Argus dropped their price objective on shares of Capital One Financial from $260.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Capital One Financial from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Capital One Financial from $242.00 to $240.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd.

Capital One Financial Price Performance

NYSE:COF opened at $221.62 on Thursday. Capital One Financial has a 52 week low of $174.24 and a 52 week high of $259.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $199.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $198.49. The firm has a market cap of $135.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.71, a P/E/G ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.02.

Capital One Financial (NYSE:COF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $5.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.79 by $1.02. Capital One Financial had a return on equity of 11.28% and a net margin of 13.37%.The firm had revenue of $15.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.76 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $5.48 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 26.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Capital One Financial will post 20.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Capital One Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. Capital One Financial’s payout ratio is presently 19.80%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, General Counsel Matthew W. Cooper sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.00, for a total transaction of $728,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 90,194 shares in the company, valued at $18,760,352. This trade represents a 3.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Ravi Raghu sold 9,726 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.78, for a total transaction of $2,040,320.28. Following the transaction, the insider owned 26,328 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,523,087.84. The trade was a 26.98% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 20,213 shares of company stock valued at $4,147,832 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.78% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Capital One Financial

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. First Command Advisory Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Capital One Financial by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 1,067 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $259,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Capital One Financial by 26.0% in the fourth quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 228 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. High Note Wealth LLC grew its stake in Capital One Financial by 44.9% in the fourth quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 155 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Fiducient Advisors LLC increased its position in Capital One Financial by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Fiducient Advisors LLC now owns 1,196 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $290,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. increased its position in Capital One Financial by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. now owns 1,057 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $256,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. 89.84% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Capital One Financial Company Profile

Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE: COF) is a diversified bank holding company headquartered in McLean, Virginia. The company’s core businesses include credit card lending, consumer and commercial banking, and auto finance. Capital One issues a wide range of credit card products for consumers and small businesses, and it operates deposit and digital banking services aimed at retail customers and small to midsize enterprises.

Products and services include credit and charge cards, checking and savings accounts (including the online-focused Capital One 360 platform), auto loans, and commercial lending solutions.