Citigroup (NYSE:C) Upgraded by Jefferies Financial Group to Strong-Buy Rating

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

C has been the subject of a number of other reports. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $132.00 target price on shares of Citigroup in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Citigroup from $130.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Morgan Stanley set a $152.00 price objective on shares of Citigroup in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of Citigroup from $141.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $127.71.

Citigroup Trading Down 1.9%

Shares of NYSE C opened at $112.32 on Wednesday. Citigroup has a fifty-two week low of $55.51 and a fifty-two week high of $125.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.00. The company has a market cap of $196.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.12, a PEG ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.17. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $113.11 and its 200-day moving average price is $107.97.

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

Citigroup Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 2nd were paid 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 dividend yield of 2.1%. Citigroup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.43%.

Insider Transactions at Citigroup

In related news, insider Cantu Ernesto Torres sold 43,173 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, 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 filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Citigroup

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Verus Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in Citigroup by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,748 shares of the company’s stock valued at $321,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Elmwood Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in Citigroup by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Elmwood Wealth Management Inc. now owns 6,845 shares of the company’s stock worth $799,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Park Place Capital Corp lifted its position in shares of Citigroup by 16.7% during the fourth quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 595 shares of the company’s stock valued at $69,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. D.B. Root & Company LLC lifted its position in shares of Citigroup by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. D.B. Root & Company LLC now owns 3,191 shares of the company’s stock valued at $372,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Citigroup by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,393 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,213,000 after buying an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.72% of the company’s stock.

Citigroup News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Citigroup this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies initiated coverage of Citigroup with a Buy rating and a $135 price target (~20% upside from recent levels), which can attract demand and institutional interest. Jefferies initiates coverage of Citigroup (C) with buy recommendation
• Positive Sentiment: Market note: Citigroup was cited in coverage saying the stock jumped after securing a BlackRock ETF-related mandate and following recent U.S. dollar & RMB bond issuances — this signals revenue upside from asset-servicing/middle?office work and steady funding execution. Citigroup (C) Is Up 5.6% After BlackRock ETF Mandate And Bond Issuances
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup is pursuing payments initiatives and advancing its payments business (including crypto/FX rails and product development), which could expand fee income over time if execution continues. Citi pursues payments advances
• Neutral Sentiment: Citibank announced the redemption of $2B of fixed?rate notes and $1B of floating?rate notes due 2026 — a liability management step that reduces near?term debt but is largely a financing/cash?management action. Citibank Announces $2 Billion Redemption of 5.438% Notes Due 2026 and $1 Billion Redemption of Floating Rate Notes Due 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Citi research/commentary is active in crypto policy coverage — e.g., notes that proposed limits on stablecoin rewards may slow USDC growth — demonstrating the bank’s involvement in payments and digital?asset policy but with limited immediate P&L impact. Citigroup: Stablecoin Rewards Limits May Slow USDC Growth
• Negative Sentiment: Senior departure: Citigroup’s top Asia banker/co?head of Asia investment banking (Metzger) has left for Standard Chartered — investor concern could arise over regional leadership turnover and potential client/coverage disruption. Citigroup top Asia banker Metzger leaves role at StanChart

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.