Zacks Research Upgrades Citigroup (NYSE:C) to Strong-Buy

Citigroup (NYSE:C) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Citigroup in a research note on Monday, April 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Citigroup from $137.00 to $151.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Argus set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Citigroup in a report on Wednesday. Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of Citigroup from $158.00 to $154.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Citigroup in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. They set a “buy” rating and a $135.00 target price on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $145.67.

Citigroup Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of NYSE C opened at $129.46 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $220.81 billion, a PE ratio of 13.98, a PEG ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 1.11. Citigroup has a twelve month low of $87.94 and a twelve month high of $147.96. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $134.34 and a 200-day simple moving average of $123.33.

Citigroup (NYSE:C) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 14th. The company reported $3.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $0.41. Citigroup had a return on equity of 10.15% and a net margin of 10.23%.The firm had revenue of $24.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.74 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.96 EPS. Citigroup’s revenue was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Citigroup will post 11.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Citigroup announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Thursday, May 7th that authorizes the company to buyback $30.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 13.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Citigroup

In other Citigroup news, Director John Cunningham Dugan sold 2,117 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.30, for a total value of $265,260.10. Following the sale, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.11% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Citigroup

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in C. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Citigroup by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 163,239,926 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,048,467,000 after acquiring an additional 4,938,923 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Citigroup by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 43,252,372 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,036,712,000 after purchasing an additional 189,548 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Citigroup by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 34,196,783 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,990,422,000 after purchasing an additional 1,326,224 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Citigroup by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 33,887,285 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,954,307,000 after purchasing an additional 846,772 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in shares of Citigroup by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 26,869,012 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,047,215,000 after purchasing an additional 728,043 shares during the last quarter. 71.72% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Citigroup News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Citigroup this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup was added to Zacks’ Rank #1 (Strong Buy) list, signaling improving earnings momentum and potentially attracting more near-term buying. New Strong Buy Stocks for July 17th
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank raised its FY2026 and FY2027 earnings estimates for Citigroup, reinforcing the view that profits may continue trending higher. Citigroup stock page / analyst estimate update
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary highlighted Citigroup as one of the standouts in early Q2 bank earnings, alongside peers that beat expectations, which supports the broader bullish case for the shares. Q2 Earnings: 2 Winners and 1 Loser So Far
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup’s Q2 results beat estimates, with revenue and EPS both coming in above Wall Street forecasts, keeping investor sentiment constructive after the earnings release. Citigroup earnings data
• Neutral Sentiment: Citigroup announced a full redemption of its Series T preferred stock, which is a capital-structure change but not a major operating catalyst by itself. Citigroup Announces Full Redemption of Series T Preferred Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Several brokerage and market items reiterated or discussed Citigroup’s valuation and relative attractiveness versus peers, adding context but not introducing a major new surprise. Citigroup vs. Wells Fargo: Which Bank Stock Looks Attractive Post Q2 Results?

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.