First Trust Advisors LP Cuts Stake in Citigroup Inc. $C

First Trust Advisors LP lessened its holdings in shares of Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C) by 13.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,552,828 shares of the company’s stock after selling 242,527 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in Citigroup were worth $157,612,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC raised its position in shares of Citigroup by 87.6% during the third quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 257 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Citigroup by 92.2% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 319 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Guerra Advisors Inc purchased a new position in Citigroup during the third quarter valued at $33,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute purchased a new position in Citigroup during the second quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Citigroup in the 2nd quarter valued at $38,000. 71.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

C has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of Citigroup from $118.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Citigroup in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Citigroup from $130.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $141.00 price target on shares of Citigroup in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price target on Citigroup from $123.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $127.25.

Key Headlines Impacting Citigroup

Here are the key news stories impacting Citigroup this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Citi participated in a strategic investment in Adaptive (alongside HSBC), signaling continued corporate focus on capital-markets technology and partnerships that could support fee and tech-led growth. Adaptive announces strategic investment from HSBC and Citi
• Positive Sentiment: Investor write-ups highlight Citigroup as an attractive dividend option, reinforcing income-focused demand for the stock among yield-seeking investors. Citigroup (C) Could Be a Great Choice
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentators and some strategists are flagging banks as buyable after recent sell-offs, which supports sector-level interest in large U.S. banks like Citi if volatility stabilizes. War selloffs are buying opportunities, history shows; Jyotivardhan Jaipuria backs banks, trims IT
• Neutral Sentiment: Citi’s institutional units have filed notices exiting substantial-holder status in a few smaller Australian names — routine portfolio/flow activity that can affect localized volumes but is unlikely to move Citi’s share price materially. Citigroup Group Ceases to Be Substantial Holder in Bapcor
• Negative Sentiment: Citigroup’s own market commentary has warned that stock-market volatility is set to continue amid the Middle East shock — a caution that can exacerbate risk-off flows out of banks and financials. Stock market volatility set to continue, warns Citi
• Negative Sentiment: Negative press and legal risk surfaced after a Citi banker filed a sexual-harassment suit criticizing the firm’s internal investigation unit; such reputational and legal headlines can pressure sentiment and prompt investor caution. Citi banker suing for sexual harassment slams firm’s investigation unit

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Cantu Ernesto Torres sold 43,173 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.09, for a total value of $4,796,088.57. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 45,835 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,091,810.15. This trade represents a 48.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.08% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Citigroup Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:C opened at $106.58 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $115.67 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $106.69. Citigroup Inc. has a 52 week low of $55.51 and a 52 week high of $125.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $186.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.29, a PEG ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.17.

Citigroup (NYSE:C) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 14th. The company reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 analysts’ expectations of $20.99 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.34 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Citigroup Inc. will post 7.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Citigroup Dividend Announcement

The business 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 2.3%. Citigroup’s dividend payout ratio is 34.43%.

Citigroup 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.