Sapient Capital LLC Lowers Stake in Regions Financial Co. (NYSE:RF)

Sapient Capital LLC cut its position in shares of Regions Financial Co. (NYSE:RF) by 8.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 49,350 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 4,796 shares during the quarter. Sapient Capital LLC’s holdings in Regions Financial were worth $1,050,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of RF. Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo LLC purchased a new stake in Regions Financial in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Regions Financial by 86.5% in the fourth quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,399 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 649 shares during the period. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Regions Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its position in Regions Financial by 103.2% during the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 1,477 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 750 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Glassman Wealth Services lifted its position in Regions Financial by 163.3% during the fourth quarter. Glassman Wealth Services now owns 1,559 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 967 shares in the last quarter. 79.39% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Regions Financial Stock Down 2.1 %

RF traded down $0.42 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $19.26. The company had a trading volume of 5,531,902 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,699,931. The company has a market cap of $17.69 billion, a PE ratio of 10.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.21. The business has a 50-day moving average of $19.47 and a 200-day moving average of $18.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.82. Regions Financial Co. has a 1-year low of $13.72 and a 1-year high of $21.08.

Regions Financial (NYSE:RF) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The bank reported $0.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.45 by ($0.08). The company had revenue of $1.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.75 billion. Regions Financial had a net margin of 19.75% and a return on equity of 13.28%. The company’s revenue was down 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.62 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Regions Financial Co. will post 1.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Regions Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 31st. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.99%. Regions Financial’s payout ratio is 52.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Regions Financial

In other Regions Financial news, Director William C. Rhodes III bought 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $19.37 per share, for a total transaction of $968,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 50,000 shares in the company, valued at $968,500. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Argus cut shares of Regions Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Regions Financial from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Regions Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $15.00 to $22.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 9th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Regions Financial from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 22nd. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $21.00 price target on shares of Regions Financial in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $20.34.

About Regions Financial

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.