Citizens Financial Group trades at $74.32 per share and has stayed right on track with the overall market, gaining 15.4% over the last six months. At the same time, the S&P 500 has returned 13.9%.

Is there a buying opportunity in Citizens Financial Group, or does it present a risk to your portfolio? Dive into our full research report to see our analyst team’s opinion, it’s free.

Why Is Citizens Financial Group Not Exciting?

We’re passing on Citizens Financial Group for now. Here are three reasons why there are better opportunities than CFG, plus one stock we’d rather own.

1. Net Interest Income Points to Soft Demand

Markets consistently prioritize net interest income over non-recurring fees, recognizing its superior quality compared to the more unpredictable revenue streams.

Citizens Financial Group’s net interest income has grown at a 6.6% annualized rate over the last five years, worse than the broader banking industry.

2. EPS Growth Has Stalled

We track the long-term change in earnings per share (EPS) because it highlights whether a company’s growth is profitable.

Citizens Financial Group’s flat EPS over the last five years was below its 5.2% annualized revenue growth. This tells us the company became less profitable on a per-share basis as it expanded.

3. Steady Increase in TBVPS Highlights Solid Asset Growth

We consider tangible book value per share (TBVPS) the most important metric to track for banks. TBVPS represents the real, liquid net worth per share of a bank, excluding intangible assets that have debatable value upon liquidation.

Although Citizens Financial Group’s TBVPS increased by a meager 2.3% annually over the last five years, the good news is that its growth has recently accelerated as TBVPS grew at a solid 12.1% annual clip over the past two years (from $29.65 to $37.26 per share).

Final Judgment

Citizens Financial Group isn’t a terrible business, but it doesn’t pass our quality test. That said, the stock currently trades at 1.2× forward P/B (or $74.32 per share). This valuation is reasonable, but the company’s shakier fundamentals present too much downside risk. We’re pretty confident there are superior stocks to buy right now. We’d suggest looking at an all-weather company that owns household favorite Taco Bell.

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