HBW Advisory Services LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Citigroup Inc. $C

Key Points

• HBW Advisory Services LLC cut its Citigroup stake by 31.4% in Q4, selling 12,877 shares and leaving it with 28,081 shares valued at about $3.28 million per its SEC filing.
• Insider Cantu Ernesto Torres sold 43,173 shares on Feb 13 for roughly $4.80 million, reducing his position by 48.5%; insiders now own about 0.11% of the company.
• The analyst consensus is a "Moderate Buy" with a $127.41 average target, and Citigroup declared a quarterly dividend of $0.60 per share (annualized $2.40, ~1.9% yield), with an ex-dividend date of May 4.

HBW Advisory Services LLC reduced its position in Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C - Free Report) by 31.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 28,081 shares of the company's stock after selling 12,877 shares during the quarter. HBW Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Citigroup were worth $3,277,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of C. Brookstone Capital Management boosted its stake in Citigroup by 31.5% in the 3rd quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 75,914 shares of the company's stock worth $7,705,000 after purchasing an additional 18,176 shares during the period. Permanent Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Citigroup in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,238,000. Donaldson Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Citigroup in the 3rd quarter valued at about $58,994,000. Penobscot Investment Management Company Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Citigroup by 61.5% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Perigon Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Citigroup by 27.2% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. 71.72% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Citigroup news, insider Cantu Ernesto Torres sold 43,173 shares of the company'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 transaction of $4,796,088.57. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 45,835 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,091,810.15. This represents a 48.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.11% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on C. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Citigroup from $134.00 to $131.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $121.00 price target on shares of Citigroup in a report on Thursday, January 15th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $132.00 price target on shares of Citigroup in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Oppenheimer lowered their price target on Citigroup from $144.00 to $132.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $150.00 price target on Citigroup in a research note on Monday, January 5th. One equities research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $127.41.

Key Citigroup News

Here are the key news stories impacting Citigroup this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street remains broadly constructive: multiple recent analyst ratings are Buy/Overweight and the six-month median price target (~$131) sits above current levels — a supportive backdrop if Citi delivers solid Q1 trading and IBD revenue. Citigroup Stock (C) Opinions on Upcoming Earnings Report
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings preview — Citigroup reports Q1 before the open on Apr 14; market focus is on trading revenue and investment-banking fees, which could swing the stock either way depending on beats/misses and management guidance. What To Expect From Citigroup’s (C) Q1 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Citi’s research activity is visible in the headlines (examples: analyst note changes at auto dealers), but those are about coverage of other companies and are unlikely to move C materially on their own. Citi Retains a Buy Rating on Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (GPI)
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and social-media caution: QuiverQuant flags multiple insider sales (including senior executives) and elevated “panic/euphoria” chatter, which can pressure sentiment heading into the print. Citigroup Stock (C) Opinions on Upcoming Earnings Report
• Negative Sentiment: Large institutional trimming: recent quarter-level data show major asset managers materially reducing positions in C (notably a large removal by UBS AM), which can weigh on stock if outflows persist or signal lower conviction. Citigroup Stock (C) Opinions on Upcoming Earnings Report

Citigroup Trading Down 0.1%

C opened at $124.32 on Monday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $113.39 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $109.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $213.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.84, a PEG ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 1.00. Citigroup Inc. has a one year low of $59.92 and a one year high of $125.48.

Citigroup (NYSE:C - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 14th. The company reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $19.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.99 billion. Citigroup had a return on equity of 8.28% and a net margin of 8.50%.Citigroup's quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.34 EPS. Analysts predict that Citigroup Inc. will post 7.53 EPS for the current year.

Citigroup Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 4th will be given a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 4th. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. Citigroup's dividend payout ratio is presently 34.43%.

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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