Citigroup (NYSE:C) Upgraded at Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Citigroup (NYSE:C) to a strong-buy rating in a report issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other brokerages have also recently weighed in on C. HSBC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $87.00 price objective on shares of Citigroup in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Citigroup from $123.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $141.00 target price on shares of Citigroup in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of Citigroup from $118.00 to $131.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Citigroup in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Citigroup currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $127.00.

Citigroup Stock Performance

Shares of C stock opened at $107.40 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $112.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $108.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.00. Citigroup has a 1 year low of $55.51 and a 1 year high of $125.16. The firm has a market cap of $187.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.41, a PEG ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.17.

Citigroup (NYSE:C) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 14th. The company reported $1.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $19.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.99 billion. Citigroup had a return on equity of 8.28% and a net margin of 8.50%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.34 EPS. Analysts predict that Citigroup will post 7.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Citigroup Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 2nd were given a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 2nd. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. Citigroup’s dividend payout ratio is presently 34.43%.

Insider Activity at Citigroup

In other news, insider Cantu Ernesto Torres sold 43,173 shares of Citigroup stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.09, for a total value of $4,796,088.57. Following the sale, the insider owned 45,835 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,091,810.15. The trade was a 48.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in C. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Citigroup by 16.1% in the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 923,984 shares of the company’s stock valued at $107,820,000 after buying an additional 128,108 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors grew its holdings in Citigroup by 24.3% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 125,531 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,648,000 after acquiring an additional 24,530 shares during the period. ARP Global Capital Ltd purchased a new position in Citigroup in the fourth quarter worth $5,544,000. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC purchased a new position in Citigroup in the fourth quarter worth $66,000. Finally, Larry Mathis Financial Planning LLC acquired a new stake in Citigroup in the fourth quarter valued at $860,000. 71.72% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Citigroup

Here are the key news stories impacting Citigroup this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Citi’s push into London bullion custody and clearing is a strategic growth move that diversifies fee revenue and positions the bank in a recovering gold market; this expansion can lift non‑interest income over time. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent analyst actions are supportive: Jefferies initiated coverage with a buy/strong‑buy and Jefferies/Oppenheimer maintain above‑market targets ($135 and $132 noted), which can provide a floor for longer‑term investor demand. Read More. and Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Management/headcount moves in Asia (senior banker departures) are being reported; such changes can create short‑term noise but are not yet tied to Citi’s core U.S. earnings outlook. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Citi commentary on payments, stablecoins and digital initiatives signals ongoing strategic investments in fee businesses; these are long‑lead revenue drivers rather than immediate EPS catalysts. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Bloomberg reported Citi is weighing a purchase of a large U.S. regional bank or brokerage — a high‑profile M&A rumor that triggered selling due to uncertainty over cost, regulatory scrutiny and potential execution risk. Citi later called the report “baseless speculation,” but the initial leak moved the tape. Read More. and Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Broad weakness in financials amplified Citigroup’s decline today; the NYSE financial index dropped and traders rotated out of banking names on the headlines, increasing downside pressure. Read More.

Citigroup Company Profile

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.