Citigroup (NYSE:C) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Citigroup (NYSE:C) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report released on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on C. HSBC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $87.00 price objective on shares of Citigroup in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on Citigroup from $141.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $132.00 price objective on shares of Citigroup in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Citigroup from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $121.00 price target on shares of Citigroup in a report on Thursday, January 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.56.

Citigroup Stock Performance

Shares of Citigroup stock opened at $113.71 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $203.46 billion, a PE ratio of 16.31, a P/E/G ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $112.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $102.13. Citigroup has a one year low of $55.51 and a one year high of $124.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.00.

Citigroup (NYSE:C) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 14th. The company reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.16. Citigroup had a net margin of 8.50% and a return on equity of 8.28%. The firm had revenue of $19.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.99 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.34 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Citigroup will post 7.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Citigroup Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Monday, February 2nd will be given a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 2nd. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. Citigroup’s dividend payout ratio is 34.43%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Citigroup by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 165,851,890 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,117,313,000 after acquiring an additional 1,148,451 shares during the period. Capital World Investors increased its holdings in shares of Citigroup by 6.5% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 47,262,626 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,797,292,000 after purchasing an additional 2,871,074 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Citigroup by 1.0% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 42,957,190 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,645,084,000 after purchasing an additional 411,894 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Citigroup by 2.7% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 33,040,513 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,353,612,000 after purchasing an additional 879,056 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Citigroup by 1.8% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 32,870,559 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,336,362,000 after purchasing an additional 580,027 shares during the period. 71.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Citigroup

Here are the key news stories impacting Citigroup this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and screens are bullish: Citigroup was added to Zacks’ list of top income/strong-buy stocks, which can attract yield-seeking flows and bolster sentiment. Best Income Stocks to Buy for January 23rd
• Positive Sentiment: Underlying results remain supportive — Citi’s recent quarterly update showed an EPS beat and analysts have largely dismissed fears of an earnings re‑rating after the company’s Q4 performance, which helps justify current valuations. Analysts Dismiss Re-Rating Fears After Bright Citigroup (C) Earnings Update
• Neutral Sentiment: Citi research notes that a Washington affordability agenda could boost fintechs and related exposures — this is sector-positive for fintech names but is a mixed read for Citi (opportunity for fee revenue vs. policy uncertainty). US fintech stocks could gain as Trump pushes affordability agenda, Citi says
• Negative Sentiment: Layoff plans: Reuters reports Citi will cut more staff in March (after ~1,000 jobs cut this month), likely affecting managing directors and senior employees — raises near‑term execution and morale concerns even as costs fall; investors often react negatively to fresh rounds of cuts that signal tougher revenue outlooks. Exclusive: Citigroup to lay off more employees in March, sources say
• Negative Sentiment: Card pricing pressure/political optics: Reports that Citi is exploring a 10% capped-rate card to respond to political pressure (and CEO comments warning caps would hurt credit access) create uncertainty around future card yields and policy risk — potential margin compression if price caps or similar measures are implemented. Bank of America, Citigroup consider new credit cards with 10% rate, Bloomberg News reports

About Citigroup

Citigroup Inc is a global financial services company headquartered in New York City with roots tracing back to the City Bank of New York, founded in 1812. The modern Citigroup was created through the 1998 merger of Citicorp and Travelers Group and has since operated as a diversified bank holding company that provides a broad range of banking and financial products and services to consumers, corporations, governments and institutions worldwide.

Citi’s principal businesses include retail and commercial banking, credit card and consumer lending products, wealth management and private banking, and a full suite of institutional services.