MUFG Securities EMEA plc Acquires 100,951 Shares of Citizens Financial Group, Inc. $CFG

MUFG Securities EMEA plc boosted its holdings in Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CFG) by 1,222.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 109,207 shares of the bank’s stock after acquiring an additional 100,951 shares during the period. MUFG Securities EMEA plc’s holdings in Citizens Financial Group were worth $6,379,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in CFG. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Citizens Financial Group in the 4th quarter valued at $355,909,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. bought a new stake in Citizens Financial Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $87,173,000. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI raised its stake in Citizens Financial Group by 326.3% in the 3rd quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI now owns 2,082,961 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $110,730,000 after acquiring an additional 1,594,326 shares during the period. Artemis Investment Management LLP raised its stake in Citizens Financial Group by 160.4% in the 4th quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 2,448,050 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $142,991,000 after acquiring an additional 1,508,070 shares during the period. Finally, Impax Asset Management Group plc raised its stake in Citizens Financial Group by 411.6% in the 4th quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 1,729,587 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $101,025,000 after acquiring an additional 1,391,483 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.90% of the company’s stock.

Citizens Financial Group Price Performance

Shares of CFG stock opened at $62.17 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. Citizens Financial Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $39.40 and a twelve month high of $68.79. The company has a market cap of $26.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.70, a P/E/G ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 0.68. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $62.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $60.50.

Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 16th. The bank reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.03. Citizens Financial Group had a return on equity of 8.31% and a net margin of 16.21%.The business had revenue of $2.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.16 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.77 EPS. Citizens Financial Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Citizens Financial Group, Inc. will post 5.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Citizens Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 30th were given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 30th. Citizens Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.50%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on CFG shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Citizens Financial Group from $80.00 to $73.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Weiss Ratings raised Citizens Financial Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $75.00 price objective on shares of Citizens Financial Group in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Citizens Financial Group from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, DA Davidson upped their price objective on Citizens Financial Group from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Nineteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $70.88.

Insider Buying and Selling at Citizens Financial Group

In related news, insider Susan Lamonica sold 13,258 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.04, for a total transaction of $769,494.32. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 165,971 shares in the company, valued at $9,632,956.84. This represents a 7.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Michelle Moosally sold 6,050 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.16, for a total value of $376,068.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 22,565 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,402,640.40. This represents a 21.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.67% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.