Blue Trust Inc. Grows Stake in Citigroup Inc. $C

Key Points

• Blue Trust Inc. more than doubled its Citigroup stake in the first quarter, increasing holdings by 109.7% to 18,793 shares valued at about $2.13 million.
• Wall Street sentiment on Citigroup remains positive: several analysts issued or reiterated Buy/Outperform ratings, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $137.79.
• Citigroup posted solid recent results, beating earnings and revenue estimates, and it has since authorized a $30 billion share buyback while continuing its quarterly dividend.

Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C - Free Report) by 109.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 18,793 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 9,832 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.'s holdings in Citigroup were worth $2,131,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in C. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Citigroup by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 163,239,926 shares of the company's stock worth $19,048,467,000 after acquiring an additional 4,938,923 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors boosted its stake in Citigroup by 6.5% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 47,262,626 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,797,292,000 after acquiring an additional 2,871,074 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Citigroup by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 43,252,372 shares of the company's stock worth $5,036,712,000 after purchasing an additional 189,548 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Citigroup by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 34,196,783 shares of the company's stock worth $3,990,422,000 after purchasing an additional 1,326,224 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Citigroup by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 33,887,285 shares of the company's stock worth $3,954,307,000 after purchasing an additional 846,772 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.72% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Citigroup from $137.00 to $151.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Citigroup in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $139.00 price objective on shares of Citigroup in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Citigroup in a report on Thursday, March 26th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $135.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Citigroup from $162.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $137.79.

Key Citigroup News

Here are the key news stories impacting Citigroup this week:

• Positive Sentiment: All of the biggest U.S. banks cleared the Federal Reserve’s annual stress test, easing capital concerns and paving the way for potentially higher buybacks and dividends. Big Banks Pass Fed Stress Test, Paving Way for Payouts
• Positive Sentiment: Citi published a bullish earnings preview saying Citigroup heads into its next quarterly report with analysts expecting double-digit profit growth, which reinforces optimism ahead of results. Citigroup Earnings Preview: What to Expect
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup also appeared in a report that it is helping underwrite Egyptian digital bank MNT-Halan’s planned IPO, highlighting continued investment-banking activity. Egyptian Digital Bank MNT-Halan Plans to Go Public
• Neutral Sentiment: A comparison article on Citigroup vs. Wells Fargo offered a general 2026 perspective on the two banks, but did not introduce a new stock-moving catalyst. Citigroup vs. Wells Fargo: Which Financial Stock Is a Better Buy in 2026?
• Neutral Sentiment: The broader market chatter around Micron and other chipmakers may have influenced sentiment indirectly, but it is not directly tied to Citigroup’s fundamentals. Micron is soaring after blowout earnings report. That's good news for this other memory chipmaker, Citigroup says

Citigroup Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:C opened at $144.86 on Friday. Citigroup Inc. has a one year low of $82.67 and a one year high of $147.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $247.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.95, a PEG ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $131.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $120.68. 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 - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The company reported $3.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.63 by $0.43. The firm had revenue of $24.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.96 billion. Citigroup had a return on equity of 9.19% and a net margin of 9.35%.The business's revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.96 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Citigroup Inc. will post 10.72 EPS for the current year.

Citigroup Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 4th were paid a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 4th. Citigroup's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.74%.

Citigroup announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, May 7th that permits the company to repurchase $30.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 13.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director John Cunningham Dugan sold 2,117 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.30, for a total value of $265,260.10. Following the transaction, the director owned 12,194 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,527,908.20. The trade was a 14.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Edward Skyler sold 25,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the insider owned 182,022 shares of the company's stock, valued at $23,919,511.02. This trade represents a 12.08% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.11% of the company's stock.

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.

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