Russell Investments Group Ltd. Cuts Position in Citigroup Inc. $C

Key Points

• Russell Investments Group Ltd. trimmed its Citigroup stake by 3.8% in the fourth quarter, selling 150,457 shares and leaving it with 3.82 million shares valued at about $446.5 million.
• Citigroup reported strong quarterly results, beating analyst expectations with $3.06 EPS and $24.63 billion in revenue, while revenue rose 14.1% year over year.
• The bank also authorized a $30 billion share buyback and recently paid a $0.60 quarterly dividend, underscoring management’s confidence in the stock’s valuation and capital return plans.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. cut its stake in Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C - Free Report) by 3.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,824,658 shares of the company's stock after selling 150,457 shares during the quarter. Citigroup comprises about 0.5% of Russell Investments Group Ltd.'s portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 0.21% of Citigroup worth $446,534,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in C. Richards Merrill & Peterson Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Citigroup in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its holdings in shares of Citigroup by 92.2% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 319 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the period. Luken Investment Analytics LLC purchased a new position in shares of Citigroup in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. High Note Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Citigroup by 107.7% in the 4th quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 270 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the period. Finally, Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Citigroup in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. 71.72% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Citigroup

Here are the key news stories impacting Citigroup this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup is benefiting from strong momentum as shares trade near a 17-year high, helped by restructuring gains, AI-led initiatives, and buyback activity. Citigroup Stock at Multi-Year High: Why Investors Should Stay Invested
• Positive Sentiment: Investor discussion around Citigroup has turned more constructive, with some noting its recent highs and tokenization plans as signs of innovation and longer-term growth potential. Citigroup Stock (C) Opinions on Recent Highs and Tokenization Plans
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup’s bullish case was reinforced by commentary that the stock remains attractive versus peers because of its lower valuation and turnaround progress. Which is the Better Bank Stock to Buy: JPMorgan or Citigroup?
• Neutral Sentiment: Citigroup chief U.S. economist Andrew Hollenhorst reiterated his call for Fed rate cuts later this year, a macro view that could matter for bank margins but is not an immediate company-specific catalyst. Citi Chief US Economist Defends Unpopular Fed Rate-Cut Call
• Negative Sentiment: Reuter’s report that a former Citigroup wealth executive alleged she was fired after raising concerns about Trump-related client outreach and risk management could add a governance overhang, though the case is still an allegation. Ex-Citi wealth MD alleges firing after flagging Trump-related client concerns, FT reports
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider selling and mixed institutional positioning may temper enthusiasm, even as the broader trend in the shares remains positive. Citigroup Stock (C) Opinions on Recent Highs and Tokenization Plans

Insider Transactions at Citigroup

In other Citigroup news, Director John Cunningham Dugan sold 2,117 shares of Citigroup stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.30, for a total transaction of $265,260.10. Following the completion of the sale, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Edward Skyler sold 25,000 shares of Citigroup stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 182,022 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $23,919,511.02. This 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 Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of C stock opened at $142.78 on Wednesday. Citigroup Inc. has a 1-year low of $77.11 and a 1-year high of $143.56. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $128.41 and its 200 day moving average price is $118.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The company has a market cap of $243.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 1.12.

Citigroup (NYSE:C - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The company reported $3.06 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.63 by $0.43. Citigroup had a return on equity of 9.19% and a net margin of 9.35%.The company had revenue of $24.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $22.96 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.96 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Citigroup Inc. will post 10.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Citigroup announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Thursday, May 7th that permits the company to buyback $30.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 13.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Citigroup Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

C has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Citigroup from $131.00 to $135.50 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Citigroup from $160.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Barclays boosted their target price on Citigroup from $146.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Evercore set a $139.00 target price on Citigroup in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Citigroup in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. They set a "buy" rating and a $135.00 target price on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $137.62.

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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