B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG Purchases New Holdings in First Citizens BancShares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCNCA)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new position in shares of First Citizens BancShares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCNCA) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 225 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $414,000.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FCNCA. Meeder Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in First Citizens BancShares by 4,666.7% during the 3rd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 143 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $263,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. grew its position in First Citizens BancShares by 3.2% during the third quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. now owns 9,773 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $17,992,000 after purchasing an additional 306 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its position in First Citizens BancShares by 2.6% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 24,554 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $45,203,000 after purchasing an additional 633 shares in the last quarter. Mount Lucas Management LP increased its stake in First Citizens BancShares by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Mount Lucas Management LP now owns 315 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $580,000 after buying an additional 8 shares during the period. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its position in First Citizens BancShares by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 22,366 shares of the bank’s stock worth $41,175,000 after buying an additional 899 shares in the last quarter. 61.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

First Citizens BancShares Stock Performance

FCNCA opened at $2,353.08 on Monday. First Citizens BancShares, Inc. has a 12-month low of $1,363.97 and a 12-month high of $2,363.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.48 and a beta of 0.80. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $2,016.00 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,893.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68.

First Citizens BancShares (NASDAQ:FCNCA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The bank reported $45.87 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $47.40 by ($1.53). First Citizens BancShares had a net margin of 17.36% and a return on equity of 13.63%. The company had revenue of $2.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.36 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $55.92 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that First Citizens BancShares, Inc. will post 187.88 earnings per share for the current year.

First Citizens BancShares Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th will be issued a dividend of $1.95 per share. This represents a $7.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.33%. This is an increase from First Citizens BancShares’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.64. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 29th. First Citizens BancShares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 3.76%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on FCNCA. StockNews.com raised shares of First Citizens BancShares from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Wedbush dropped their target price on First Citizens BancShares from $2,150.00 to $2,000.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on First Citizens BancShares from $2,550.00 to $2,300.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on First Citizens BancShares from $1,950.00 to $2,250.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, July 29th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $2,025.90.

About First Citizens BancShares

First Citizens BancShares, Inc operates as the holding company for First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company that provides retail and commercial banking services to individuals, businesses, and professionals. The company's deposit products include checking, savings, money market, and time deposit accounts.