Citigroup Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:C)

Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Friday. Stock investors acquired 108,979 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 34% compared to the average daily volume of 81,497 call options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on C shares. Barclays increased their price objective on Citigroup from $115.00 to $146.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Citigroup from $134.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Piper Sandler set a $135.00 price target on shares of Citigroup in a report on Thursday. Dbs Bank lowered shares of Citigroup from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. Finally, HSBC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $87.00 target price on shares of Citigroup in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Citigroup currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $124.65.

Citigroup Price Performance

NYSE C opened at $118.21 on Friday. Citigroup has a 52-week low of $55.51 and a 52-week high of $124.17. The stock has a market cap of $211.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.96, a PEG ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.00. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $110.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $101.17.

Citigroup (NYSE:C) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 14th. The company reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) 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 business had revenue of $19.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.99 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.34 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Citigroup will post 7.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Citigroup Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 2nd. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Citigroup’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.43%.

Institutional Trading of Citigroup

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Citigroup in the 2nd quarter worth about $2,455,929,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Citigroup by 17.6% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 28,125,995 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,854,788,000 after purchasing an additional 4,211,099 shares during the period. Capital World Investors lifted its stake in Citigroup by 6.5% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 47,262,626 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,797,292,000 after purchasing an additional 2,871,074 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its position in Citigroup by 6,172.0% in the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 2,904,795 shares of the company’s stock valued at $294,838,000 after buying an additional 2,858,481 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in Citigroup by 291.4% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 1,319,549 shares of the company’s stock worth $153,978,000 after buying an additional 2,008,946 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 71.72% of the company’s stock.

More Citigroup News

Here are the key news stories impacting Citigroup this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS beat and dealmaking strength — Citi reported $1.81 EPS vs. $1.65 expected and management highlighted a rebound in investment banking and corporate client fees, which supports earnings momentum and valuation re-ratings. Citigroup profit beats estimates as dealmaking rebounds
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support and price-target lifts — Several firms refreshed views after the quarter (Wolfe Research cited constructive subsector outlook; RBC reaffirmed an outperform). That analyst activity can provide near-term buy-side support. Wolfe Research Raises Citigroup PT RBC Reaffirms Outperform (Benzinga)
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusual options activity — Large call buying was observed (≈108,979 calls, ~34% above average). That’s a bullish short-term signal but could reflect hedging or speculative flow rather than firm fundamental conviction.
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue miss and one‑time Russia loss — Revenue missed Street estimates and reported profit was pulled down by a Russia‑unit sale; the WSJ noted the profit drop tied to that divestiture, which tempers the headline EPS beat. Citigroup’s Fourth Quarter Profit Drops After Russia Sale (WSJ)
• Negative Sentiment: Cost cuts and restructuring risk — CEO Jane Fraser signaled more job cuts and the firm is executing layoffs (1,000 announced this week; a broader plan targets many more), which could weigh on near‑term morale, execution risk and transition costs. Citigroup CEO Signals More Job Cuts (TipRanks)
• Negative Sentiment: Credit-card exposure and regulatory/sector headwinds — Commentaries flagged Citi’s consumer/credit-card exposures as a vulnerability and the broader bank sector saw selling after earnings amid valuation scrutiny and political talk of credit-rate caps, creating an ongoing overhang. Record earnings overshadowed by credit-card exposure (TipRanks) Bank Stocks Get Punished After Earnings (MarketBeat)

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.