L & S Advisors Inc Boosts Holdings in Citigroup Inc. $C

L & S Advisors Inc increased its stake in shares of Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C) by 26.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 142,653 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 29,787 shares during the period. Citigroup comprises about 1.5% of L & S Advisors Inc’s holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest position. L & S Advisors Inc’s holdings in Citigroup were worth $16,646,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Citigroup by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC now owns 82,949 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,679,000 after buying an additional 3,522 shares during the last quarter. Ranch Capital Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Citigroup by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Ranch Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 32,595 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,803,000 after buying an additional 1,542 shares during the last quarter. May Hill Capital LLC increased its holdings in Citigroup by 105.2% during the fourth quarter. May Hill Capital LLC now owns 11,590 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,352,000 after buying an additional 5,941 shares during the last quarter. Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Citigroup during the fourth quarter worth about $277,000. Finally, Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan increased its holdings in Citigroup by 20.1% during the fourth quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan now owns 77,530 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,047,000 after buying an additional 12,986 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.72% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Edward Skyler sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.41, for a total value of $3,285,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 182,022 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,919,511.02. This trade represents a 12.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director John Cunningham Dugan sold 2,117 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $1,527,908.20. This trade represents a 14.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.11% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Citigroup Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:C opened at $123.39 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $210.46 billion, a PE ratio of 15.29, a P/E/G ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 1.14. Citigroup Inc. has a twelve month low of $71.65 and a twelve month high of $135.29. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $119.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $114.04.

Citigroup (NYSE:C) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 14th. The company reported $3.06 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.63 by $0.43. Citigroup had a net margin of 9.35% and a return on equity of 9.19%. The company had revenue of $24.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.96 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.96 earnings per share. Citigroup’s revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Citigroup Inc. will post 10.65 EPS for the current year.

Citigroup declared that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Thursday, May 7th that permits the company to repurchase $30.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase up to 13.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Citigroup Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 4th will be given a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 4th. Citigroup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.74%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

C has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Citigroup from $160.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of Citigroup from $140.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $139.00 target price on shares of Citigroup in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. 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 reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $145.00 target price (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 given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $137.62.

Key Citigroup News

Here are the key news stories impacting Citigroup this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup plans to increase headcount in its Asia-Pacific prime brokerage business by about 10%, signaling confidence in rising hedge fund activity and an opportunity to capture more trading and financing revenue. Article: C to Expand Asia Prime Brokerage Team by 10%, Eyes Hedge Fund Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Separate reports suggest Citigroup is continuing to push its Asia expansion strategy, including potential licensing progress in China and a broader push to strengthen its regional investment-banking and markets presence. Article: Citigroup to Get License for Wholly Owned China Securities Firm as CEO Joins Trump Visit
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup has also been highlighted in analysis for adopting AI in ways that may generate returns, reinforcing the view that the bank’s technology investments could help support efficiency and profitability. Article: Citigroup: Not Only Adopting AI But Also Generating Returns
• Neutral Sentiment: Bloomberg reported that Citi said African borrowers are becoming more creative in debt sales, which is informative on market conditions but does not clearly change the near-term earnings picture. Article: Citi Says African Borrowers Are Turning Creative on Debt Sales
• Negative Sentiment: Some investors remain focused on whether Citigroup can sustain its post-earnings momentum, with recent commentary noting the stock has already pulled back from the strong rally seen after its latest quarterly results. Article: After a 63.3% Surge in a Year, Is C Stock Worth Holding on to Now?

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.