Stock Traders Buy Large Volume of Citigroup Call Options (NYSE:C)

Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Friday. Stock traders bought 213,829 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 170% compared to the average daily volume of 79,181 call options.

Citigroup Stock Performance

NYSE:C opened at $115.68 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $113.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $103.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63. Citigroup has a twelve month low of $55.51 and a twelve month high of $124.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $206.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.60, a PEG ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 1.18.

Citigroup (NYSE:C) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 14th. The company reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $19.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.99 billion. Citigroup had a return on equity of 8.28% and a net margin of 8.50%.The company’s revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.34 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Citigroup will post 7.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Citigroup Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 2nd will be issued a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup’s payout ratio is currently 34.43%.

Citigroup News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Citigroup this week:

• Positive Sentiment: U.K. head says M&A and capital‑markets deal pipeline is the strongest in years, implying potential near‑term fee revenue upside for Citigroup’s investment banking franchise. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Bloomberg reports Citigroup India is hiring a new commercial‑banking head (Khurana), a hire that could accelerate growth in a high‑growth market and boost corporate lending and transaction banking volumes. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Management has reshuffled corporate‑banking leadership to sharpen focus on client coverage and deal execution — a strategic move investors view as supportive of revenue recovery if execution holds. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and media coverage is spotlighting Citigroup (investor attention rising), and the stock is being compared with peers on 2026 upside — this increases liquidity and trade interest but is informational rather than a direct fundamental catalyst. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Reports confirm another round of layoffs in March as part of a 20,000‑job reduction through 2026 — short‑term charges and execution risk on the restructuring raise concerns about morale, client disruption and timing of cost savings versus revenue headwinds. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Reputational/legal noise persists after coverage of a former executive’s lawsuit and criticism of industry practices; such issues can prolong distractions and, in a downside scenario, lead to regulatory scrutiny or settlements. Read More.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on C. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Citigroup in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Citigroup from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $107.00 to $124.00 in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $150.00 target price on shares of Citigroup in a report on Monday, January 5th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Citigroup in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of Citigroup from $141.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $125.56.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Citigroup

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in Citigroup by 166.9% in 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 period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Citigroup by 20.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 9,805 shares of the company’s stock worth $835,000 after buying an additional 1,669 shares in the last quarter. Truist Financial Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Citigroup by 2.1% in the second quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 349,123 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,717,000 after buying an additional 7,314 shares during the period. Trilogy Capital Inc. bought a new position in Citigroup during the second quarter valued at about $236,000. Finally, Woodward Diversified Capital LLC acquired a new position in Citigroup during the second quarter worth about $418,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.72% of the company’s stock.

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.