BNP Paribas Grows Stock Position in Citigroup Inc. $C

Key Points

• BNP Paribas increased its Citigroup stake by 70.5% in the second quarter, bringing its holdings to 113,002 shares valued at approximately $15.9 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 71.72% of Citigroup.
• Citigroup exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $3.15 in earnings per share and $24.77 billion in revenue, up 14.5% year over year. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.67 per share and authorized a $30 billion share-repurchase program.
• Analyst sentiment remains generally positive, with Citigroup carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $145.22, though some analysts downgraded or reduced targets. Separately, a reported SEC probe into margin lending and leverage risks could create potential regulatory and profitability concerns.

BNP Paribas increased its holdings in Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C - Free Report) by 70.5% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 113,002 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 46,720 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas' holdings in Citigroup were worth $15,861,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in C. Cora Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Citigroup by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. Cora Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,609 shares of the company's stock worth $296,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in Citigroup by 0.4% during the first quarter. CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 20,596 shares of the company's stock worth $2,336,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. American Trust lifted its stake in shares of Citigroup by 3.6% in the second quarter. American Trust now owns 2,331 shares of the company's stock valued at $326,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Invst LLC lifted its stake in Citigroup by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Invst LLC now owns 9,601 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,344,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Verus Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Citigroup by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,748 shares of the company's stock worth $321,000 after buying an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. 71.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Citigroup News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Citigroup this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup’s recent quarterly results provide a fundamental cushion: earnings and revenue exceeded analyst expectations, with revenue up 14.5% year over year. SEC Probe Puts Wall Street Leverage Risk Back in Focus
• Neutral Sentiment: Citi analyst activity on Oracle, BMW and Forvia reflects the bank’s research and advisory business, but the recommendations are directed at those companies and have little direct impact on Citigroup’s equity value. Oracle Stock Gains Premarket
• Neutral Sentiment: Citigroup entities reported exiting substantial-holder status in Australia’s IDP Education and Healius. These appear to be portfolio or position disclosures rather than changes to Citi’s core business, making the immediate stock impact limited. Citi Group Entities Exit Substantial Holder Status in IDP Education
• Negative Sentiment: The SEC reportedly subpoenaed Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan and Bank of America over margin lending to hedge fund Situational Awareness, which suffered a 67% drawdown during an AI-stock sell-off. The probe puts leverage, collateral and counterparty-risk controls under scrutiny; potential fines, litigation costs or tighter lending requirements could weigh on Citi’s profitability, although the ultimate exposure remains unclear. SEC Probe Puts Wall Street Leverage Risk Back in Focus

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

C has been the topic of several analyst reports. Oppenheimer downgraded shares of Citigroup from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Citigroup from $150.00 to $142.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Citigroup from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Argus set a $150.00 target price on shares of Citigroup in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of Citigroup from $140.00 to $153.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Citigroup presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $145.22.

Citigroup Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of C stock opened at $132.77 on Friday. The firm's 50-day moving average is $136.20 and its 200-day moving average is $126.81. The stock has a market cap of $226.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.34, a PEG ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 1.12. Citigroup Inc. has a 52-week low of $92.96 and a 52-week high of $147.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 0.99.

Citigroup (NYSE:C - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 14th. The company reported $3.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $0.41. The business had revenue of $24.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.74 billion. Citigroup had a return on equity of 10.15% and a net margin of 10.23%.Citigroup's revenue for the quarter was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.96 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Citigroup Inc. will post 11.2 EPS for the current year.

Citigroup Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 3rd were given a dividend of $0.67 per share. This is a boost from Citigroup's previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 3rd. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Citigroup's dividend payout ratio is currently 28.94%.

Citigroup declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, May 7th that allows the company to buyback $30.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 13.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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.

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