Azora Capital LP Raises Holdings in Citigroup Inc. $C

Azora Capital LP raised its holdings in Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C) by 56.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 802,268 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 289,494 shares during the period. Citigroup comprises approximately 5.9% of Azora Capital LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. Azora Capital LP’s holdings in Citigroup were worth $93,617,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Richards Merrill & Peterson Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Citigroup in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Luken Investment Analytics LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Citigroup in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. High Note Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Citigroup by 107.7% in the fourth quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 270 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Citigroup in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Citigroup in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 71.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on C shares. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $145.00 price objective (up from $125.00) on shares of Citigroup in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Zacks Research cut Citigroup from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $165.00 price objective on Citigroup and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Citigroup in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $135.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $139.00 price objective on shares of Citigroup in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Citigroup has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $137.79.

Insider Buying and Selling at Citigroup

In related news, Director John Cunningham Dugan sold 2,117 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.30, for a total transaction of $265,260.10. Following the sale, the director owned 12,194 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,527,908.20. This trade represents a 14.79% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Edward Skyler sold 25,000 shares of Citigroup stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.41, for a total value of $3,285,250.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 182,022 shares in the company, valued at $23,919,511.02. The trade was a 12.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

Key Citigroup News

Here are the key news stories impacting Citigroup this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Trading activity showed unusually strong demand for Citigroup call options, suggesting investors are positioning for further upside in the stock.
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup’s May consumer credit data was mixed but not alarming overall: card delinquencies declined, which may support the view that credit quality remains manageable. Article: Citigroup’s Card Delinquencies Decline, Charge-Offs Rise in May
• Positive Sentiment: The stock is still benefiting from recent momentum tied to strong earnings, restructuring progress, AI-related initiatives and share buybacks, which have helped push shares toward multi-year highs. Article: Citigroup Stock at Multi-Year High: Why Investors Should Stay Invested
• Neutral Sentiment: There was also a report that Citigroup had recently gone long on a more constructive market view via an economist’s call for Fed rate cuts, but this is more macro commentary than a direct company catalyst. Article: Citi chief US economist defends unpopular Fed rate-cut call
• Negative Sentiment: Two lawsuits tied to a former executive’s allegations over Trump-related client concerns and retaliation could create legal and reputational risk for Citigroup if the claims gain traction. Article: Citigroup faces lawsuit over alleged Trump-linked account issues

Citigroup Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of C stock opened at $143.74 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $128.94 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $119.04. The company has a market cap of $245.16 billion, a PE ratio of 17.81, a P/E/G ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 1.12. Citigroup Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $77.26 and a fifty-two week high of $146.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 0.99.

Citigroup (NYSE:C) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The company reported $3.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.63 by $0.43. Citigroup had a return on equity of 9.19% and a net margin of 9.35%.The firm had revenue of $24.63 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.96 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.96 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Citigroup Inc. will post 10.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Citigroup Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 4th were issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 4th. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Citigroup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.74%.

Citigroup declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Thursday, May 7th that authorizes the company to buyback $30.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 13.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

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.