Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C – Get Free Report) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Investors acquired 184,536 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 32% compared to the average daily volume of 140,277 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on C shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Citigroup from $45.00 to $43.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 3rd. TheStreet lowered shares of Citigroup from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 30th. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of Citigroup from $82.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Citigroup from $60.00 to $55.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 23rd. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Citigroup from $60.00 to $50.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Citigroup has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $51.66.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Citigroup

Insider Activity at Citigroup

In related news, insider Andrew John Morton sold 28,096 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.66, for a total transaction of $1,142,383.36. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 410,060 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,673,039.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Citigroup

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Carmel Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Citigroup in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Citigroup by 73.8% in the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 683 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 290 shares during the period. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Citigroup in the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Citigroup by 75.0% in the third quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC now owns 700 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Finally, Union Savings Bank bought a new position in shares of Citigroup in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Institutional investors own 69.26% of the company’s stock.

Citigroup Trading Up 3.7 %

Citigroup stock traded up $1.73 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $48.43. The stock had a trading volume of 20,539,103 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,460,379. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $42.16 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $43.91. Citigroup has a twelve month low of $38.17 and a twelve month high of $53.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The firm has a market cap of $92.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.68, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.58.

Citigroup (NYSE:C – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, October 13th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.23 by $0.29. Citigroup had a net margin of 9.22% and a return on equity of 6.76%. The company had revenue of $20.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.27 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.50 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Citigroup will post 5.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Citigroup Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, November 6th were issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 3rd. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.38%. Citigroup’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.60%.

About Citigroup (Get Free Report)

Citigroup Inc, a diversified financial services holding company, provides various financial products and services to consumers, corporations, governments, and institutions in North America, Latin America, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. It operates through three segments: Institutional Clients Group (ICG), Personal Banking and Wealth Management (PBWM), and Legacy Franchises.

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Original: MarketBeat News Feed: Investors Buy Large Volume of Call Options on Citigroup (NYSE:C)