Short Interest in Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CFG) Increases By 15.0%

Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CFG - Get Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 9,720,000 shares, a growth of 15.0% from the January 15th total of 8,450,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 3,940,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.5 days.

Citizens Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of CFG stock traded down $1.32 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $44.87. 2,873,309 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,766,963. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The company's 50 day moving average is $45.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $43.89. The company has a market cap of $19.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 1.10. Citizens Financial Group has a 1 year low of $30.30 and a 1 year high of $49.25.

Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 17th. The bank reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.02. Citizens Financial Group had a net margin of 12.21% and a return on equity of 6.75%. The company had revenue of $1.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.96 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.85 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Citizens Financial Group will post 3.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Citizens Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st were issued a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.74%. Citizens Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 55.45%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Citizens Financial Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new position in shares of Citizens Financial Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Citizens Financial Group during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Citizens Financial Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Citizens Financial Group during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Citizens Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on CFG. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Citizens Financial Group from $53.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Raymond James reiterated a "strong-buy" rating and set a $58.00 price objective (up from $55.00) on shares of Citizens Financial Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $49.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Compass Point raised their price objective on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $45.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $53.00 target price on shares of Citizens Financial Group in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $49.00.

Citizens Financial Group Company Profile

Citizens Financial Group, Inc operates as the bank holding company that provides retail and commercial banking products and services to individuals, small businesses, middle-market companies, corporations, and institutions in the United States. The company operates in two segments, Consumer Banking and Commercial Banking.