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CFG or KEY or RF
Which Stock Would AI Choose? Citizens Financial Group (CFG) vs. KeyCorp (KEY) vs. Regions Financial (RF) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- Citizens Financial Group (CFG) leads year-to-date performance with a 13.37% gain, outpacing KeyCorp (KEY) at 8.57% and Regions Financial (RF) at 5.47%.
- All three banks reported Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS, a measure of profitability per share) beats: CFG at $1.13 (vs. $1.09 expected), KEY at $0.44, and RF at $0.62 (vs. $0.59-$0.60).
- Dividend yields favor RF (3.74%) and KEY (3.70%) over CFG (2.80%), appealing to income-focused investors.
- Price-to-earnings (P/E) ratios show RF as cheapest at 11.75, followed by KEY (13.61) and CFG (15.58).
- Recent commercial loan growth across the trio eases economic slowdown concerns, supporting net interest income (NII, revenue from loans minus deposit costs).
- Market caps cluster around $24-28 billion, reflecting comparable scale in the regional banking sector.
Introduction
This stock comparison examines CFG, KEY, and RF, three prominent U.S. regional banks with overlapping exposures to commercial lending, deposits, and interest rate dynamics. Investors tracking financial sector relative performance, dividend yields, or growth in net interest margins amid evolving monetary policy may find value here. Recent quarterly results highlight resilience in loan portfolios and fee income, offering insights into market positioning and potential trade-offs in valuation versus momentum.
CFG Overview and Recent Performance
Citizens Financial Group (CFG) operates as a diversified regional bank primarily in the Northeast and Midwest, offering retail banking, commercial loans, and wealth management services. In recent market activity, shares traded near the upper end of their 52-week range ($34.92-$68.79), closing at $65.76. Q1 2026 earnings surpassed estimates with EPS of $1.13 (up 47% year-over-year) and revenue of $2.17 billion, driven by NII and fee income growth alongside private banking initiatives. Sentiment reflects optimism on strategic growth, tempered by post-earnings share pressure amid sector-wide private credit scrutiny.
KEY Overview and Recent Performance
KeyCorp (KEY) provides banking and financial services across multiple states, with emphasis on commercial and consumer lending. Recent weeks saw shares at $22.19 within a 52-week range of $13.90-$23.35. Q1 2026 results showed revenue of $1.95 billion and EPS of $0.44 (up 33% year-over-year), fueled by over 3% loan growth to $107.7 billion and higher interest income. Positive consumer health comments from leadership bolstered sentiment, despite some credit quality watchpoints, supporting steady performance.
RF Overview and Recent Performance
Regions Financial (RF) focuses on the Southeast U.S., delivering consumer banking, commercial loans, and mortgage services. Shares recently closed at $28.31 in a 52-week range of $19.31-$31.53. Q1 2026 EPS hit $0.62, beating forecasts, with revenue at $1.89 billion amid loan expansion, though slightly below expectations due to deposit cost pressures. Earnings growth and non-bank exposure disclosures influenced sentiment, highlighting margin challenges in a competitive landscape.
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Head-to-Head Comparison
CFG, KEY, and RF share regional banking models reliant on NII (60-70% of revenue), with geographic foci differentiating growth: CFG in urban Northeast, KEY broadly commercial, RF Southeast expansion. CFG edges momentum (92% 1-year return) but trades at higher P/E; RF offers value and yield, sensitive to deposit betas. Risks include credit quality (NCO, net charge-offs) and private credit ties, while catalysts like loan growth favor all amid rate stability. KEY balances yield and lending upside.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Tickeron’s AI currently leans toward CFG for superior trend consistency, YTD momentum, and EPS growth amid resilient NII, positioning it favorably relative to peers in recent market activity. Probabilistic edges stem from scale and private banking catalysts, though KEY and RF appeal for yield stability.
Disclaimer
The information on this webpage is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice, a recommendation to purchase or sell any security, or an offer or solicitation related to investments. It does not consider your personal financial situation, goals, or risk profile, and all investing carries inherent risks, including the possibility of losing your entire investment. For more details, please review our full disclaimer. Disclaimers and Limitations
Long-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a long-term outlook for a ticker by using Fundamental Analysis (FA) ratings. The rating of 1 to 100, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, is divided into thirds. The first third (a green rating of 1-33) indicates that the ticker is undervalued; the second third (a grey number between 34 and 66) means that the ticker is valued fairly; and the last third (red number of 67 to 100) reflects that the ticker is undervalued. We use an FA Score to show how many ratings show the ticker to be undervalued (green) or overvalued (red).
CFG’s FA Score shows that 3 FA rating(s) are green whileKEY’s FA Score has 2 green FA rating(s), and RF’s FA Score reflects 2 green FA rating(s).
- CFG’s FA Score: 3 green, 2 red.
- KEY’s FA Score: 2 green, 3 red.
- RF’s FA Score: 2 green, 3 red.
Short-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a short-term outlook for a ticker by using Technical Analysis (TA) indicators. We use Odds of Success as the percentage of outcomes which confirm successful trade signals in the past.
If the Odds of Success (the likelihood of the continuation of a trend) for each indicator are greater than 50%, then the generated signal is confirmed. A green percentage from 90% to 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bullish trend. A red percentage from 90% - 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bearish trend. All grey percentages are below 50% and are considered not to confirm the trend signal.
CFG’s TA Score shows that 6 TA indicator(s) are bullish while KEY’s TA Score has 6 bullish TA indicator(s), and RF’s TA Score reflects 6 bullish TA indicator(s).
- CFG’s TA Score: 6 bullish, 4 bearish.
- KEY’s TA Score: 6 bullish, 4 bearish.
- RF’s TA Score: 6 bullish, 4 bearish.
Price Growth
CFG (@Regional Banks) experienced а +1.54% price change this week, while KEY (@Regional Banks) price change was +2.16% , and RF (@Regional Banks) price fluctuated +1.72% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Regional Banks industry was +0.86%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +6.58%, and the average quarterly price growth was +19.49%.
Reported Earning Dates
CFG is expected to report earnings on Jul 16, 2026.
KEY is expected to report earnings on Jul 21, 2026.
RF is expected to report earnings on Jul 17, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Regional Banks (+0.86% weekly)Regional banks have a smaller reach than major banks, and cater mostly to one region of a country, such as a state or within a group of states. They offer services often similar – albeit with some limitations/smaller scale – compared to major banks. Taking deposits, making loans, mortgages, leases, credit cards , fund management, insurance and investment banking. SunTrust Banks, State Street Corp., M&T Bank Corp. are some examples of U.S. regional banks.
| CFG | KEY | RF | |
| Capitalization | 28B | 24.1B | 24.2B |
| EBITDA | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Gain YTD | 13.374 | 8.574 | 5.469 |
| P/E Ratio | 15.58 | 13.61 | 11.75 |
| Revenue | 8.25B | 7.29B | 7.53B |
| Total Cash | 11.6B | N/A | 3.11B |
| Total Debt | 11.3B | 11B | 4.88B |
CFG | KEY | RF | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 27 | 27 | 31 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 81 Overvalued | 81 Overvalued | 70 Overvalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 43 | 70 | 38 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 7 | 8 | 7 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 11 | 14 | 19 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 29 | 92 | 38 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 50 | 50 | 50 |
Tickeron ratings are formulated such that a rating of 1 designates the most successful stocks in a given industry, while a rating of 100 points to the least successful stocks for that industry.
RF's Valuation (70) in the Major Banks industry is in the same range as CFG (81) in the Regional Banks industry, and is in the same range as KEY (81) in the Major Banks industry. This means that RF's stock grew similarly to CFG’s and similarly to KEY’s over the last 12 months.
RF's Profit vs Risk Rating (38) in the Major Banks industry is in the same range as CFG (43) in the Regional Banks industry, and is in the same range as KEY (70) in the Major Banks industry. This means that RF's stock grew similarly to CFG’s and similarly to KEY’s over the last 12 months.
RF's SMR Rating (7) in the Major Banks industry is in the same range as CFG (7) in the Regional Banks industry, and is in the same range as KEY (8) in the Major Banks industry. This means that RF's stock grew similarly to CFG’s and similarly to KEY’s over the last 12 months.
CFG's Price Growth Rating (11) in the Regional Banks industry is in the same range as KEY (14) in the Major Banks industry, and is in the same range as RF (19) in the Major Banks industry. This means that CFG's stock grew similarly to KEY’s and similarly to RF’s over the last 12 months.
CFG's P/E Growth Rating (29) in the Regional Banks industry is in the same range as RF (38) in the Major Banks industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for KEY (92) in the Major Banks industry. This means that CFG's stock grew similarly to RF’s and somewhat faster than KEY’s over the last 12 months.
| CFG | KEY | RF | |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 66% | 1 day ago 61% | 1 day ago 64% |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 60% | 1 day ago 66% | 1 day ago 61% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 75% | 1 day ago 71% | 1 day ago 63% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 68% | 1 day ago 70% | 1 day ago 76% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 66% | 1 day ago 65% | 1 day ago 63% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 64% | 1 day ago 60% | 1 day ago 59% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 64% | 1 day ago 61% | 1 day ago 62% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 23 days ago 62% | 7 days ago 70% | 26 days ago 64% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 55% | 1 day ago 68% | 1 day ago 64% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 60% | 1 day ago 62% | 1 day ago 56% |
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