Polaris Capital Management LLC Sells 8,500 Shares of Capital One Financial Co. (NYSE:COF)

Polaris Capital Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Capital One Financial Co. (NYSE:COF) by 3.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 224,508 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 8,500 shares during the period. Capital One Financial accounts for approximately 1.9% of Polaris Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Polaris Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Capital One Financial were worth $40,034,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Capital One Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Capital One Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV increased its holdings in shares of Capital One Financial by 135.0% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 289 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Eastern Bank bought a new stake in shares of Capital One Financial in the 3rd quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Capital One Financial in the third quarter worth $47,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.84% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on COF shares. UBS Group upgraded Capital One Financial from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $168.00 to $235.00 in a report on Monday, January 13th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Capital One Financial from $163.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Capital One Financial from $162.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Bank of America downgraded shares of Capital One Financial from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $203.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, HSBC raised Capital One Financial from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $176.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Capital One Financial currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $196.31.

Capital One Financial Price Performance

NYSE COF opened at $198.67 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. Capital One Financial Co. has a 12 month low of $128.23 and a 12 month high of $208.63. The stock has a market cap of $75.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.14, a PEG ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.47. The company’s 50 day moving average is $188.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $166.87.

Capital One Financial (NYSE:COF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 21st. The financial services provider reported $3.09 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.78 by $0.31. The firm had revenue of $10.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.22 billion. Capital One Financial had a net margin of 9.46% and a return on equity of 9.45%. The company’s revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.81 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Capital One Financial Co. will post 15.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Capital One Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. Capital One Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.71%.

Capital One Financial 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.