Jefferies Financial Group Begins Coverage on Citigroup (NYSE:C)

Equities research analysts at Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Citigroup (NYSE:C) in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage set a “buy” rating and a $135.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 25.70% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research firms have also recently commented on C. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $121.00 price target on shares of Citigroup in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $132.00 price objective on shares of Citigroup in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Citigroup from $123.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Citigroup from $115.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their price target on shares of Citigroup from $141.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $127.00.

Citigroup Stock Performance

NYSE C opened at $107.40 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $187.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.41, a P/E/G ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.17. Citigroup has a 52-week low of $55.51 and a 52-week high of $125.16. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $112.90 and its 200 day moving average price is $108.05. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63.

Citigroup (NYSE:C) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 14th. The company reported $1.81 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 firm had revenue of $19.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.99 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.34 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Citigroup will post 7.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Cantu Ernesto Torres sold 43,173 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.09, for a total transaction of $4,796,088.57. Following the sale, the insider owned 45,835 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,091,810.15. The trade was a 48.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.08% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Citigroup

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Citigroup during the second quarter worth approximately $2,455,929,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Citigroup by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 163,239,926 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,048,467,000 after buying an additional 4,938,923 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in Citigroup by 17.6% during the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 28,125,995 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,854,788,000 after buying an additional 4,211,099 shares during the period. Capital World Investors increased its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 2,871,074 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 2,858,481 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.72% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Citigroup

Here are the key news stories impacting Citigroup this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Citi’s push into London bullion custody and clearing is a strategic growth move that diversifies fee revenue and positions the bank in a recovering gold market; this expansion can lift non‑interest income over time. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent analyst actions are supportive: Jefferies initiated coverage with a buy/strong‑buy and Jefferies/Oppenheimer maintain above‑market targets ($135 and $132 noted), which can provide a floor for longer‑term investor demand. Read More. and Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Management/headcount moves in Asia (senior banker departures) are being reported; such changes can create short‑term noise but are not yet tied to Citi’s core U.S. earnings outlook. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Citi commentary on payments, stablecoins and digital initiatives signals ongoing strategic investments in fee businesses; these are long‑lead revenue drivers rather than immediate EPS catalysts. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Bloomberg reported Citi is weighing a purchase of a large U.S. regional bank or brokerage — a high‑profile M&A rumor that triggered selling due to uncertainty over cost, regulatory scrutiny and potential execution risk. Citi later called the report “baseless speculation,” but the initial leak moved the tape. Read More. and Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Broad weakness in financials amplified Citigroup’s decline today; the NYSE financial index dropped and traders rotated out of banking names on the headlines, increasing downside pressure. Read More.

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.