Citigroup (NYSE:C) Upgraded by Zacks Research to “Strong-Buy” Rating

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

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Argus set a $150.00 price target on shares of Citigroup in a report on Wednesday. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Citigroup from $134.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Piper Sandler reissued 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. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price 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. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Citigroup in a report on Monday, April 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Citigroup currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $145.67.

Citigroup Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of NYSE C opened at $129.46 on Thursday. Citigroup has a 1-year low of $87.94 and a 1-year high of $147.96. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $134.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $123.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $220.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.99.

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

Citigroup announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, May 7th that allows the company to repurchase $30.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 13.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Citigroup

In other news, Director John Cunningham Dugan sold 2,117 shares of the company’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 transaction, the director owned 12,194 shares in the company, valued at $1,527,908.20. This represents a 14.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.11% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Citigroup

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Citigroup during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Citigroup in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Richards Merrill & Peterson Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Citigroup in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. TD Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Citigroup during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Finally, IMG Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Citigroup by 197.6% during the first quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 244 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 162 shares during the period. 71.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Citigroup

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?

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.