Erste Asset Management GmbH Makes New Investment in Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CFG)

Erste Asset Management GmbH bought a new position in Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CFG - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 51,654 shares of the bank's stock, valued at approximately $2,107,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Versor Investments LP purchased a new stake in Citizens Financial Group in the third quarter worth about $1,910,000. CWM LLC grew its position in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 77.1% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 40,699 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,466,000 after purchasing an additional 17,718 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in Citizens Financial Group during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $5,009,000. Pathstone Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in Citizens Financial Group by 7.7% in the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 154,546 shares of the bank's stock worth $6,347,000 after purchasing an additional 11,044 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Andra AP fonden boosted its stake in Citizens Financial Group by 49.1% in the 2nd quarter. Andra AP fonden now owns 308,300 shares of the bank's stock worth $11,108,000 after purchasing an additional 101,500 shares during the period. 94.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on CFG shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Citizens Financial Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Citizens Financial Group from $46.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Citizens Financial Group from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Citizens Financial Group from $50.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Citizens Financial Group from $48.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Citizens Financial Group has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $46.27.

Citizens Financial Group Trading Down 0.4 %

NYSE:CFG traded down $0.20 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $46.60. 2,761,246 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,200,572. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.35, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.08. Citizens Financial Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $28.19 and a 52 week high of $49.25. The firm's 50 day moving average is $43.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $40.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61.

Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The bank reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.79. The company had revenue of $1.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.94 billion. Citizens Financial Group had a net margin of 10.37% and a return on equity of 5.73%. The firm's revenue was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.85 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Citizens Financial Group, Inc. will post 3.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Citizens Financial Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 13th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 30th were issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, October 30th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.61%. Citizens Financial Group's payout ratio is 66.14%.

Citizens Financial Group 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.