Citigroup Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:C)

Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C) saw unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Investors bought 178,445 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 50% compared to the average daily volume of 118,812 call options.

Citigroup Stock Performance

Shares of Citigroup stock traded up $5.49 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $78.99. 36,298,859 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,450,320. Citigroup has a 1-year low of $50.51 and a 1-year high of $79.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $149.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $70.60 and a 200-day moving average price of $65.22. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55.

Citigroup (NYSE:C) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 15th. The company reported $1.34 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.22 by $0.12. Citigroup had a return on equity of 6.19% and a net margin of 4.70%. The firm had revenue of $19.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.51 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.84 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Citigroup will post 5.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Citigroup Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 3rd will be paid a $0.56 dividend. This represents a $2.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.84%. Citigroup’s payout ratio is currently 64.93%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Bank of America upped their price target on Citigroup from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Citigroup from $86.00 to $82.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Citigroup from $85.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on Citigroup from $73.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Citigroup from $72.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $80.13.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Citigroup

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. increased its holdings in shares of Citigroup by 34.8% during the third quarter. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. now owns 77,506 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,852,000 after acquiring an additional 20,000 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Citigroup by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 354,294 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,236,000 after acquiring an additional 8,301 shares during the last quarter. Brookstone Capital Management lifted its position in shares of Citigroup by 340.6% during the fourth quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 36,034 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,536,000 after acquiring an additional 27,856 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV increased its holdings in Citigroup by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,138,511 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,270,000 after acquiring an additional 20,291 shares during the period. Finally, Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Citigroup by 4.9% during the third quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 394,738 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,710,000 after purchasing an additional 18,278 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.72% of the company’s stock.

Citigroup Company Profile

Citigroup Inc, a diversified financial service holding company, provides various financial product and services to consumers, corporations, governments, and institutions worldwide. It operates through five segments: Services, Markets, Banking, U.S. Personal Banking, and Wealth. The Services segment includes Treasury and Trade Solutions, which provides cash management, trade, and working capital solutions to multinational corporations, financial institutions, and public sector organizations; and Securities Services, such as cross-border support for clients, local market expertise, post-trade technologies, data solutions, and various securities services solutions.