Citigroup Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:C)

Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Thursday. Investors purchased 122,419 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 26% compared to the typical daily volume of 97,264 call options.

Citigroup Price Performance

Shares of NYSE C opened at $84.46 on Friday. Citigroup has a twelve month low of $53.51 and a twelve month high of $84.79. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $74.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $73.53. The company has a market capitalization of $157.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.34, a PEG ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 1.33.

Citigroup (NYSE:C) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.84 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $21.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.34 billion. Citigroup had a net margin of 7.95% and a return on equity of 6.94%. As a group, analysts expect that Citigroup will post 7.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Citigroup Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 23rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 5th were given a dividend of $0.56 per share. This represents a $2.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 5th. Citigroup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Citigroup in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on shares of Citigroup from $84.00 to $79.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Citigroup in a research note on Tuesday. Cowen initiated coverage on Citigroup in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Citigroup from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, June 1st. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Citigroup currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $84.03.

Insider Buying and Selling at Citigroup

In other news, Director John Cunningham Dugan sold 4,417 shares of Citigroup stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.26, for a total value of $301,504.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 13,048 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $890,656.48. The trade was a 25.29% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Citigroup

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of C. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Citigroup during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Citigroup during the first quarter valued at $28,000. American National Bank & Trust acquired a new position in Citigroup during the first quarter valued at $29,000. Accent Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Citigroup by 106.0% in the 1st quarter. Accent Capital Management LLC now owns 412 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 212 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC boosted its position in Citigroup by 131.6% during the 1st quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 433 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 246 shares during the period. 71.72% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Citigroup

Citigroup Inc, a diversified financial service holding company, provides various financial product and services to consumers, corporations, governments, and institutions worldwide. It operates through five segments: Services, Markets, Banking, U.S. Personal Banking, and Wealth. The Services segment includes Treasury and Trade Solutions, which provides cash management, trade, and working capital solutions to multinational corporations, financial institutions, and public sector organizations; and Securities Services, such as cross-border support for clients, local market expertise, post-trade technologies, data solutions, and various securities services solutions.