Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.05 EPS

Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG) announced its earnings results on Thursday. The bank reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.05, Zacks reports. Citizens Financial Group had a return on equity of 8.85% and a net margin of 17.18%.The business had revenue of $2.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.25 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.92 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year.

Here are the key takeaways from Citizens Financial Group’s conference call:

• Citizens posted a strong second quarter with EPS of $1.30, up 15% sequentially and 41% year over year, while ROTCE improved to 13.9%. Management also highlighted record revenue and more than 600 basis points of positive operating leverage year over year.
• Net interest income and fees both accelerated, with NII up 4.4% sequentially on continued NIM expansion and loan growth, and non-interest income up 8% sequentially. Capital markets produced its strongest second quarter ever, and wealth fees hit another record.
• Loan growth improved across the franchise, led by the private bank and commercial banking, while deposit trends remained healthy with strong low-cost deposit growth. Management said the balance sheet is still largely deposit-funded and expects seasonal strength in deposits later in the year.
• Credit remains favorable, with net charge-offs down to 37 basis points and non-accrual loans declining quarter over quarter. The company said its stress-test results improved materially, and the allowance stayed stable at 1.48% of loans.
• Management reaffirmed medium-term upside from strategy execution, including private bank expansion, AI/re-imagination initiatives, and the NEXT branch optimization program. Citizens still sees a path to a 16%-18% ROTCE target by end-2027 and expects continued NIM and operating leverage progress.

Citizens Financial Group Stock Down 2.8%

Citizens Financial Group stock opened at $72.34 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.86. Citizens Financial Group has a fifty-two week low of $45.90 and a fifty-two week high of $74.70. The company has a market cap of $30.59 billion, a PE ratio of 15.69, a PEG ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 0.67. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $66.42 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $63.59.

Citizens Financial Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 30th will be paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 30th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. Citizens Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.50%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and set a $80.00 price target on shares of Citizens Financial Group in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $73.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price objective on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Citizens Financial Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $77.85.

Key Citizens Financial Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting Citizens Financial Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Citizens Financial reported better-than-expected Q2 2026 results, with EPS of $1.30 versus $1.25 expected and revenue of $2.28 billion versus $2.25 billion expected, driven by stronger net interest income and fee growth. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: The company said net income rose 35% year over year to $587 million and EPS increased 41% year over year, reinforcing momentum in profitability. Business Wire article
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts raised price targets after the earnings release, including Keefe, Bruyette & Woods to $90, RBC to $79, Barclays to $81, and Baird to $75, signaling improving Wall Street sentiment. Benzinga article
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts also highlighted a raised net interest margin outlook and solid private bank growth, which may support expectations for continued earnings strength. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.46 per share, underscoring capital return to shareholders.

Insider Transactions at Citizens Financial Group

In other news, insider Michelle Moosally sold 6,050 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.16, for a total value of $376,068.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 22,565 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,402,640.40. The trade was a 21.14% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.67% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Citizens Financial Group

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 2.4% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 11,531 shares of the bank’s stock worth $472,000 after acquiring an additional 274 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in Citizens Financial Group by 6.7% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 8,838 shares of the bank’s stock worth $362,000 after acquiring an additional 554 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP lifted its position in Citizens Financial Group by 39.5% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 36,932 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,513,000 after buying an additional 10,466 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 93.4% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 9,814 shares of the bank’s stock worth $439,000 after buying an additional 4,739 shares during the period. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 5.2% during the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 65,564 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,934,000 after purchasing an additional 3,225 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.90% of the company’s stock.

About Citizens Financial Group

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.