Baird R W Upgrades Capital One Financial (NYSE:COF) to Strong-Buy

Capital One Financial (NYSE:COF) was upgraded by investment analysts at Baird R W from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

COF has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Capital One Financial from $185.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Argus raised shares of Capital One Financial to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Bank of America raised shares of Capital One Financial from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $207.00 to $235.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Capital One Financial from $182.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Capital One Financial from $162.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $205.60.

Capital One Financial Price Performance

COF stock opened at $165.49 on Tuesday. Capital One Financial has a 52-week low of $128.23 and a 52-week high of $210.67. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $192.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $175.08. The company has a market capitalization of $63.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98.

Capital One Financial (NYSE:COF) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The financial services provider reported $3.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.78 by $0.31. Capital One Financial had a return on equity of 9.45% and a net margin of 9.46%. The firm had revenue of $10.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.22 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.81 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Capital One Financial will post 15.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH grew its position in Capital One Financial by 2,139.7% in the fourth quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH now owns 92,431 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $16,482,000 after acquiring an additional 88,304 shares in the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new position in Capital One Financial in the fourth quarter worth $34,343,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Capital One Financial by 737.8% in the fourth quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 22,583 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,027,000 after acquiring an additional 26,124 shares in the last quarter. Challenger Wealth Management purchased a new position in Capital One Financial in the fourth quarter worth $374,000. Finally, Ascent Group LLC grew its position in Capital One Financial by 7.9% in the fourth quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 21,659 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,862,000 after acquiring an additional 1,582 shares in the last quarter. 89.84% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Capital One Financial Company Profile

Capital One Financial Corporation operates as the financial services holding company for the Capital One, National Association, which engages in the provision of various financial products and services in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. It operates through three segments: Credit Card, Consumer Banking, and Commercial Banking.