Artisan Partners Limited Partnership Decreases Stake in Citigroup Inc. $C

Artisan Partners Limited Partnership lowered its stake in Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C) by 1.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 11,620,256 shares of the company’s stock after selling 219,395 shares during the period. Citigroup makes up 2.0% of Artisan Partners Limited Partnership’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership’s holdings in Citigroup were worth $1,355,968,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in C. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in shares of Citigroup by 166.9% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 19,990 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,407,000 after purchasing an additional 12,499 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its position in Citigroup by 20.5% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 9,805 shares of the company’s stock valued at $835,000 after buying an additional 1,669 shares during the period. United Bank acquired a new stake in Citigroup during the second quarter valued at $972,000. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Citigroup by 3,016.7% during the second quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 935 shares of the company’s stock valued at $80,000 after buying an additional 905 shares during the period. Finally, HUB Investment Partners LLC grew its position in Citigroup by 26.9% during the second quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 15,287 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,301,000 after buying an additional 3,238 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: 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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

C has been the topic of several analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of Citigroup from $140.00 to $153.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $139.00 price target on shares of Citigroup in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Citigroup in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. They set a “buy” rating and a $135.00 price target on the stock. Zacks Research lowered shares of Citigroup from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $145.00 price target (up from $125.00) on shares of Citigroup in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $137.62.

Insider Transactions at Citigroup

In related news, insider Edward Skyler sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.41, for a total transaction of $3,285,250.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 182,022 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,919,511.02. The trade was a 12.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director John Cunningham Dugan sold 2,117 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.30, for a total transaction of $265,260.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 12,194 shares in the company, valued at $1,527,908.20. The trade was a 14.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

Citigroup Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE C opened at $142.78 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $128.41 and its 200-day simple moving average is $118.75. Citigroup Inc. has a 52-week low of $77.11 and a 52-week high of $143.56. The firm 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. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59.

Citigroup (NYSE:C) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 14th. The company reported $3.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.63 by $0.43. Citigroup had a net margin of 9.35% and a return on equity of 9.19%. The business had revenue of $24.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.96 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.96 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Citigroup Inc. will post 10.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Citigroup Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 4th were given a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 4th. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Citigroup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.74%.

Citigroup announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, May 7th that authorizes the company to repurchase $30.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 13.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.