Stephens Upgrades Regions Financial (NYSE:RF) to Overweight

Stephens upgraded shares of Regions Financial (NYSE:RF) from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a report issued on Tuesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has $26.00 price target on the bank’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Regions Financial from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Regions Financial from $25.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Regions Financial from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 3rd. StockNews.com raised shares of Regions Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Regions Financial from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $25.45.

Regions Financial Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:RF opened at $23.87 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.83. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $23.07 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $21.11. Regions Financial has a 1 year low of $14.27 and a 1 year high of $24.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.84 billion, a PE ratio of 13.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.17.

Regions Financial (NYSE:RF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 18th. The bank reported $0.49 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.53 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $1.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. Regions Financial had a net margin of 18.78% and a return on equity of 12.60%. The business’s revenue was down 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.49 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Regions Financial will post 2.05 EPS for the current year.

Regions Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.19%. Regions Financial’s payout ratio is currently 56.50%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Regions Financial

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in Regions Financial during the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. American National Bank & Trust increased its stake in shares of Regions Financial by 1,856.7% in the third quarter. American National Bank & Trust now owns 1,174 shares of the bank’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 1,114 shares during the period. Quarry LP raised its holdings in shares of Regions Financial by 157.2% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,335 shares of the bank’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 816 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. lifted its position in Regions Financial by 530.0% during the second quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 1,493 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 1,256 shares during the period. Finally, Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Regions Financial in the second quarter valued at $32,000. 79.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Regions Financial Company Profile

Regions Financial Corporation, a financial holding company, provides banking and bank-related services to individual and corporate customers. It operates through three segments: Corporate Bank, Consumer Bank, and Wealth Management. The Corporate Bank segment offers commercial banking services, such as commercial and industrial, commercial real estate, and investor real estate lending; equipment lease financing; deposit products; and securities underwriting and placement, loan syndication and placement, foreign exchange, derivatives, merger and acquisition, and other advisory services.