Versant Capital Management Inc Purchases 4,778 Shares of Citigroup Inc. $C

Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in shares of Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C) by 58.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,982 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,778 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc’s holdings in Citigroup were worth $1,318,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Citigroup in the second quarter worth approximately $2,455,929,000. Swedbank AB lifted its holdings in shares of Citigroup by 14.8% in the 2nd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 10,906,386 shares of the company’s stock worth $928,352,000 after acquiring an additional 1,406,624 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board grew its holdings in shares of Citigroup by 47.4% during the 2nd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 4,334,407 shares of the company’s stock valued at $368,945,000 after purchasing an additional 1,393,865 shares during the last quarter. Natixis raised its position in Citigroup by 382.7% in the 2nd quarter. Natixis now owns 1,523,782 shares of the company’s stock worth $129,704,000 after purchasing an additional 1,208,089 shares during the period. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its stake in Citigroup by 63.3% in the second quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 3,085,496 shares of the company’s stock worth $262,637,000 after purchasing an additional 1,195,950 shares during the last quarter. 71.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Citigroup Stock Down 3.5%

Shares of NYSE C opened at $112.26 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $109.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $100.72. Citigroup Inc. has a 12 month low of $55.51 and a 12 month high of $124.17. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $200.87 billion, a PE ratio of 15.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 1.18.

Citigroup (NYSE:C) last announced 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 net margin of 8.73% and a return on equity of 7.91%. The company had revenue of $19.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.99 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.34 earnings per share. Citigroup’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Citigroup Inc. will post 7.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Citigroup Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 2nd will be paid a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on C shares. Bank of America raised their price objective on Citigroup from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. HSBC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $87.00 price objective on shares of Citigroup in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $141.00 target price on shares of Citigroup in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Citigroup from $129.00 to $134.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $108.00 price target on shares of Citigroup in a report on Monday, November 24th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $118.94.

Key Headlines Impacting Citigroup

Here are the key news stories impacting Citigroup this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS beat and lighter provisions — Citi reported adjusted EPS of $1.81 (above consensus) and loan-loss provisions came in lower than expected, supporting profitability and reducing near-term credit concerns. C Earnings/Conference Call
• Positive Sentiment: Investment banking and M&A strength — Advisory fees surged (an ~84% jump) and dealmaking rebounded, driving record revenues in corporate client services — a meaningful revenue upside if sustained. M&A/Revenues
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish analyst notes and raised targets — J.P. Morgan reaffirmed a Buy on Citi citing earnings momentum and transformation progress, and Wolfe Research has raised its price target, giving the stock valuation upside support. J.P. Morgan Buy Rating Wolfe Research PT Raise
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend maintained — Citi declared its quarterly dividend, supporting income-seeking holders and signaling capital-return discipline. (Company release / investor notices)
• Neutral Sentiment: Restructuring and job cuts signaled — CEO Jane Fraser warned staff that “the bar is raised” and flagged more job cuts after Q4, which could boost future efficiency but creates short-term execution and sentiment risk. CEO Memo / Job Cuts
• Neutral Sentiment: Asia advisory activity / capital-markets pipeline — Citi bankers expect strong ECM activity in India and Citi-backed takeover offers in Asia highlight fee opportunities, but these are incremental and more region-specific. ECM Pipeline (India)
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue miss and Russia divestiture loss — Total revenue fell short of estimates and Citi took a ~$1.2B pre-tax charge tied to selling its Russian unit, which materially weighed on reported profit and raised questions about near-term top-line momentum. Reuters: Russia Charge
• Negative Sentiment: Higher expenses / capital concerns — Analysts flagged rising expenses and a weaker capital position versus peers, which pressured sentiment despite the EPS beat. Zacks: Expense/Capital Callout
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/sector overhang — Industry headlines about a proposed cap on credit card interest rates (political/administrative risk) are an external overhang for Citi and other big-card issuers; management warns caps would shrink credit availability and hurt NIMs. CNBC: Credit Card Cap Risk Benzinga: CFO on Rate Cap

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.