Citigroup (NYSE:C) Upgraded by Zacks Research to Strong-Buy Rating

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

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $132.00 price objective on shares of Citigroup in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Citigroup from $115.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Citigroup from $123.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Citigroup in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, HSBC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $87.00 target price on shares of Citigroup in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Citigroup has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $125.56.

Citigroup Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of NYSE C opened at $113.71 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $112.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $102.01. Citigroup has a 52-week low of $55.51 and a 52-week high of $124.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $203.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.31, a PEG ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63.

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

Citigroup Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup’s payout ratio is presently 34.43%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Citigroup

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in C. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Citigroup by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. now owns 9,426 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,073,000 after buying an additional 307 shares in the last quarter. Bingham Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Citigroup during the 4th quarter worth $847,000. Sunpointe LLC boosted its position in Citigroup by 25.2% during the 4th quarter. Sunpointe LLC now owns 3,737 shares of the company’s stock worth $436,000 after acquiring an additional 752 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Citigroup by 49.5% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 57,392 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,697,000 after purchasing an additional 19,007 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sage Mountain Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Citigroup by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 18,045 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,106,000 after purchasing an additional 904 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.72% of the company’s stock.

Citigroup News Roundup

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

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.