Franklin Resources Inc. Has $3.34 Billion Stock Position in Citigroup Inc. $C

Key Points

• Franklin Resources raised its stake in Citigroup by 1.8% to 32,870,559 shares — roughly $3.34 billion or 1.84% of Citi — making it Franklin’s 17th-largest holding.
• Citigroup beat EPS estimates ($1.81 vs. $1.65) while revenue missed, and management projects ~5–6% NII growth in 2026 plus mid‑teens Q1 investment‑banking fee growth, supporting an improving earnings outlook.
• Market sentiment is positive: 14 analysts rate Citi a Buy versus 5 Holds with a consensus target of $127.25, institutional ownership stands at 71.72%, but there has been notable insider selling.

Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C - Free Report) by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 32,870,559 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 580,027 shares during the period. Citigroup accounts for approximately 0.8% of Franklin Resources Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 1.84% of Citigroup worth $3,336,362,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Brookstone Capital Management raised its position in shares of Citigroup by 31.5% during the third quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 75,914 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,705,000 after buying an additional 18,176 shares during the last quarter. Permanent Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Citigroup during the third quarter worth about $1,238,000. Donaldson Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Citigroup during the third quarter worth about $58,994,000. Penobscot Investment Management Company Inc. increased its stake in Citigroup by 61.5% during the third quarter. Penobscot Investment Management Company Inc. now owns 57,033 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,789,000 after acquiring an additional 21,720 shares during the period. Finally, Perigon Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Citigroup by 27.2% during the third quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 75,566 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,670,000 after acquiring an additional 16,171 shares during the period. 71.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

C has been the subject of a number of research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $121.00 price objective on shares of Citigroup in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on Citigroup from $141.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Piper Sandler set a $135.00 target price on Citigroup in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Citigroup in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $152.00 price target on shares of Citigroup in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Citigroup presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $127.25.

Citigroup Stock Up 2.2%

Shares of C opened at $108.92 on Wednesday. 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 company has a 50-day moving average price of $115.28 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $106.99. The stock has a market cap of $190.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.63, a P/E/G ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.17. Citigroup Inc. has a 12 month low of $55.51 and a 12 month high of $125.16.

Citigroup (NYSE:C - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 14th. The company reported $1.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.99 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.34 EPS. The company's revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Citigroup Inc. will post 7.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Citigroup Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 2nd were given a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup's dividend payout ratio is 34.43%.

Key Citigroup News

Here are the key news stories impacting Citigroup this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Citi told investors it expects mid‑teens percentage growth in first‑quarter investment‑banking fees, signaling a rebound in deal activity that supports higher fees and trading revenue. Citigroup sees mid‑teens growth in first‑quarter investment banking fees
• Positive Sentiment: CEO Jane Fraser gave a bullish update at an RBC conference describing progress in investment banking and markets — comments that helped re‑rate sentiment and spur analyst attention. Citi Stock Rebounds As CEO Jane Fraser Paints A Bullish Picture
• Positive Sentiment: Citi has raised AI capex and revenue projections as enterprise AI demand picks up — positioning the bank to win advisory, trading and financing work tied to AI infrastructure. That narrative supports multiple expansion. Citigroup Elevates AI Investment Projections Amid Rising Demand
• Positive Sentiment: Management outlined a plan to achieve ~5–6% year‑over‑year net interest income (NII) growth in 2026 through loan growth, deposit expansion and reinvesting maturing securities at higher yields — a clear driver for earnings growth. How Citigroup Plans to Achieve 5‑6% Y/Y NII Growth in 2026?
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum signals: recent analyst upgrades and heavy call‑option buying have amplified bullish flows and short‑term momentum, reinforcing price strength. Citigroup Stock (C) Opinions on Recent Price Momentum and Analyst Upgrades
• Neutral Sentiment: Citi research highlighted top semiconductor winners amid the AI chip rally — useful for client research/revenue but not a direct corporate earnings driver. Citi Picks Four Semiconductor Winners
• Neutral Sentiment: Citi issued an inaugural digitally native structured note on Euroclear’s D‑FMI platform — a primer on product innovation that may modestly expand wealth management capabilities. Citi Issues Inaugural Digitally Native Structured Note
• Negative Sentiment: Offsetting risks: notable institutional reductions and recent insider sales have appeared in filings, which can cap upside and raise questions about near‑term flows. Citigroup Stock (C) Opinions on Recent Price Momentum and Analyst Upgrades
• Negative Sentiment: Reputational headwinds: Citi suffered a large fall in a global gender ranking — an ESG/reputation datapoint that can matter to some investors and stakeholders over time. Citi suffers largest fall among banks in global gender ranking

Insider Transactions at Citigroup

In other Citigroup news, insider Cantu Ernesto Torres sold 43,173 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.09, for a total transaction of $4,796,088.57. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 45,835 shares in the company, valued at $5,091,810.15. This represents a 48.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.08% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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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