Citigroup Inc. $C Shares Purchased by Sterling Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Sterling Capital Management boosted its Citigroup stake by 45.9% in the first quarter, buying 34,680 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 110,239 shares worth about $12.5 million.
• Citigroup has seen broadly positive institutional interest, with hedge funds and other investors owning 71.72% of the stock. A number of other funds also increased their positions during the period.
• The company has several supportive catalysts, including a successful Fed stress test that could allow for higher dividends and a $30 billion share buyback, while analysts also expect double-digit profit growth in the upcoming second-quarter earnings report.

Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C - Free Report) by 45.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 110,239 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 34,680 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC's holdings in Citigroup were worth $12,502,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Cora Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Citigroup by 3.1% in the first 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. Verus Capital Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Citigroup by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,748 shares of the company's stock valued at $321,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Elmwood Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Citigroup by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Elmwood Wealth Management Inc. now owns 6,845 shares of the company's stock valued at $799,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Park Place Capital Corp raised its holdings in shares of Citigroup by 16.7% in the 4th quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 595 shares of the company's stock valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Finally, D.B. Root & Company LLC raised its holdings in shares of Citigroup by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. D.B. Root & Company LLC now owns 3,191 shares of the company's stock valued at $372,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.72% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Citigroup

Here are the key news stories impacting Citigroup this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup’s successful 2026 Fed stress test supports a stronger capital position, giving the bank more flexibility for higher dividends and a planned $30 billion share buyback. How Citigroup's Stress Test Success Strengthens Shareholder Returns
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect Citigroup to post double-digit profit growth in the upcoming second-quarter earnings report, which could reinforce the stock’s recent rally if results and guidance come in strong. Citigroup Earnings Preview: What to Expect
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary this week also highlighted Citigroup’s broader macro research, including a warning that El Niño could create a new global economic risk through disruption to agriculture, infrastructure, and productivity. Neutral Sentiment:
• Neutral Sentiment: Citigroup was also cited in a stock-picking note on Micron, where the bank said strong memory demand could benefit SanDisk; this is more about Citigroup’s analyst commentary than a direct driver for C shares. Micron is soaring after blowout earnings report. That's good news for this other memory chipmaker, Citigroup says

Citigroup Trading Down 2.3%

NYSE:C opened at $141.68 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $241.65 billion, a PE ratio of 17.56, a P/E/G ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 1.12. Citigroup Inc. has a 52-week low of $83.81 and a 52-week high of $147.96. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $131.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $120.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59.

Citigroup (NYSE:C - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $24.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $22.96 billion. Citigroup had a return on equity of 9.19% and a net margin of 9.35%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.96 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Citigroup Inc. will post 10.86 EPS for the current year.

Citigroup Dividend Announcement

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

Citigroup announced that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, May 7th that authorizes the company to buyback $30.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 13.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Citigroup in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. They set a "buy" rating and a $135.00 target price for the company. Oppenheimer restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $145.00 price target on shares of Citigroup in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Evercore set a $139.00 price target on Citigroup in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on Citigroup from $140.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $139.00 price objective on shares of Citigroup in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Citigroup presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $138.44.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director John Cunningham Dugan sold 2,117 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.30, for a total value of $265,260.10. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 12,194 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,527,908.20. This represents a 14.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Edward Skyler sold 25,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.41, for a total transaction of $3,285,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 182,022 shares of the company's stock, valued at $23,919,511.02. The trade was a 12.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.11% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.

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