Is Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C) the Best Stock Under $100 to Buy According to Hedge Funds?
We recently published a list of the 12 Best Stocks Under $100 to Buy According to Hedge Funds. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C) stands against other stocks under $100 to buy according to hedge funds.
On April 21, Chris Davis of Davis Advisors appeared on 'The Exchange' on CNBC to talk about selectivity in today's market. Davis pointed out that putting companies in groups like the MAG7 covers their underlying businesses, which can have different fundamentals and therefore prospects. For this reason, he acknowledged that he owns certain stocks from MAG7 but not all. Davis also clarified that his overall focus is on value and growth, which leads him to a diverse set of holdings and not just tech, such as financials and healthcare names. He then argued that the market is shifting back toward selectivity and active management. He suggested that active management is positioned for a resurgence because the indexes have become highly concentrated and richly valued.
Davis acknowledged that while he cannot predict the market's short-term movements, the present environment is ideal for stock pickers who can identify resilient businesses that are trading at reasonable valuations. He sees this as an opportunity for active management to outperform, as investors move away from momentum-driven index investing toward a more selective approach. He noted the growing popularity of actively managed ETFs as evidence that investors are beginning to act on this shift away from index concentration. He also believes that within the MAG7, only a few companies are truly well-positioned. Similarly, within the S&P 500, only 5% to 10% of companies possess the resiliency and durability needed for such volatile times.
Davis laid out what he sees as the major transitions shaping the current investment environment. First, he described the shift from nearly 15 years of free money to a more normal interest rate environment. Second, he pointed to the end of a multi-decade era of globalization, which was replaced by deglobalization, rising nationalism, and geopolitical tensions. Third, he highlighted the impact of AI. He said that these transitions are occurring against a backdrop of market complacency, with high valuations and concentrated growth expectations.
We first used the Finviz stock screener to compile a list of the top stocks that were trading under $100 as of April 22. We then selected the 12 stocks that were the most popular among elite hedge funds and that analysts were bullish on. The stocks are ranked in ascending order of the number of hedge funds that have stakes in them, as of Q4 2024. The hedge fund data was sourced from Insider Monkey's database which tracks the moves of over 1000 elite money managers.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter's strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).
A team of financial advisors huddled around a desk, discussing the best investment strategy for their client.
Share Price as of April 22: $62.69
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 101
Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C) is a diversified financial services holding company that provides various financial products and services to consumers, corporations, governments, and institutions. It has five segments: Services, Markets, Banking, US Personal Banking, and Wealth. It operates in North America, the UK, Japan, North & South Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
In Q1 2025, the company's Wealth revenues surged by 24% year-over-year, with all three of its constituent businesses (Citi Gold, the Private Bank, and Wealth at Work) contributing to this expansion. This growth was driven by fee revenue, which fueled non-interest revenue growth of 16%. The business also showed a strong ability to attract client assets, which is evidenced by the ~11% organic growth in client investment. This translates to net new investment assets of $16.5 billion in Q1 and over $56 billion in the last 12 months.
While expenses were roughly flat due to offsetting factors like prior workforce reductions and increased revenue-related costs, the pre-tax margin for the Wealth segment at Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C) stood at a healthy 17%. The segment achieved positive operating leverage for the fourth consecutive quarter. End-of-period client balances also increased by 7%, which was driven by strong net new investment asset flows and positive market valuation.
Diamond Hill Capital Long-Short Fund stated the following regarding Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C) in its first quarter 2024 investor letter:
'Other top Q1 contributors included Meta Platforms, Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C) and Walt Disney. Banking and financial services company Citigroup's restructuring efforts are ongoing, and it continues remediating regulatory issues and building capital in anticipation of increased requirements. The company expects to see expenses fall meaningfully in the second half of 2024, bolstering the outlook from here.'
Overall, C ranks 7th on our list of the best stocks under $100 to buy according to hedge funds. While we acknowledge the growth potential of C, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold great promise for delivering high returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. There is an AI stock that went up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks lost around 25%. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than C but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires.
Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
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USA Today
24 minutes ago
- USA Today
Fewer 401(k) millionaires minted in first quarter thanks to market mayhem, Fidelity says
Fewer 401(k) millionaires minted in first quarter thanks to market mayhem, Fidelity says Show Caption Hide Caption Understanding a 401k: How it works and why it's important What is a 401k plan? Key benefits and how to maximize your savings. Retirement savers have faced plenty of white knuckle days in 2025 where stock market conditions — and on-again, pause-again tariffs — put everyone's nerves on edge. Amazingly, no matter how awful things felt some days, many have not seen a double-digit fallout in their 401(k) savings in the first quarter, according to the latest data from Fidelity Investments. Average 401(k) retirement account balances fell 3% from late last year through the first three months this year to $127,100. Savers still saw a 1% gain in balances from the first quarter a year ago, according to Fidelity. Not as many 401(k) millionaires It wasn't as easy to become a millionaire during the first quarter's rough ride. Fidelity reported that 512,000 savers were 401(k)-created millionaires in the first quarter, down about 4.6% from 537,000 in the fourth quarter of 2024. These savers had at least $1 million in their retirement account. The third quarter of last year was when Fidelity saw a record number of 401(k) millionaires created, at 544,000. Fidelity's 401(k) data is based on 25,300 defined contribution plans at various companies across the country. The plans covered 24.4 million participants as of March 31. The on-again, off-again market panic What a difference a few months of economic uncertainty makes. We had a good, set-it-and-forget-it kind of a year in 2024. At the end of last year, retirement savers saw average 401(k) balances go up 11% from the start of the year, according to Fidelity's data. Even seeing a 3% decline in the first quarter this year could be unsettling for some savers, considering that 401(k) savers only saw a slight 0.5% dip on average from the third quarter through the fourth quarter last year. You would have to go back about two years to the third quarter of 2023 to see a drop of 4% in average retirement savings from the second quarter that year. So far, it has been one incredibly weird kind of a year with some miserable declines and some miraculous rebounds. Fortunately, many investors are no longer dealing with the 15% year-to-date decline that we saw as of April 8 for the Standard & Poor's 500 index. "If one 'took a nap' on Jan. 19 and didn't wake up until May 31, they would have conjectured that the markets had been relatively calm," said Robert Bilkie, CEO of Sigma Investment Counselors in Northville. The S&P 500 index was up 0.92% year to date through June 2 when the S&P 500 closed at 5,935.94 points. The total year-to-date return — including dividends — was 1.49% through the market close June 2. The total return was 25.02% in 2023 and up 26.29% in 2025. Most diversified common stock accounts held by savers are up modestly for the year, Bilkie noted. Pain worse for those investing in auto stocks, other companies The key word here is diversified. Some investors continue to face deep losses in 2025, particularly if they invested a large chunk of their money in one stock or industry. General Motors stock, for example, was down 10.47% year to date from its close of $53.27 a share on Dec. 31, 2024, through the June 2 close of $47.69 a share. Stellantis was down 25% from its close of $13.05 a share on Dec. 31 through its close on June 2 of $9.78 a share. Ford stock is up 0.8% from year-end 2024 when the stock price closed at $9.90 a share through June 2 when the stock closed at $9.98 a share. "The worst losses were centered around companies that were impacted by the uncertainty surrounding tariffs and trade war," said Sam Huszczo, a chartered financial analyst in Lathrup Village. "Think Tesla or Nike, who are very dependent on a confident consumer and relying extensively on international markets, manufacturing, and supply chains." Tesla stock was down 15% year-to-date through June 2; Nike was down 18.6% during that same time before dividends. This year, many investors also sold stock in some companies as they took profits from the high-flying stocks of 2024, like technology stocks, Huszczo said. "What goes up fast, also comes down fast. As the market darlings of last year turned into this year's cautionary tales." We continue to witness unpredictability, and a sense that things are different from economic shifts in the past. Wild swings are hard for investors Unlike the 2008-09 meltdown, we've not seen stock prices just keep continuously falling so far this year. Instead, we've seen some ungodly volatility. We've had days where the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 2,231.07 points or 5.5% on April 4 and suddenly gained 2,963 points or 7.87% on April 9. Huszczo said many individual investors who are saving for retirement or other reasons tended not to panic sell, and often bought into the dip. Some "charged into the dip like it was Black Friday." On 'Liberation Day' on April 2, Trump put tariffs on every nation. On April 9, though, Trump paused his "Liberation Day" tariffs for 90 days until July 8 after Wall Street revolted over the widespread tariffs, which were expected to drive up prices and drive down economic growth in the United States. Now, the Trump administration wants countries to provide their best offer on trade negotiations by June 4, according to a Reuters report June 2. Michael Shamrell, Fidelity's vice president of thought leadership for workplace investing, said Fidelity recommends that maintaining a long-term plan is often the most appropriate strategy when investors face an uptick of volatility in the market, as has been the situation in 2025. "Factors like rapid policy changes, political uncertainty, and the impact of tariffs, along with the speed and magnitude of changes, contribute to a sense of heightened instability," the Fidelity report stated. Savers still want to continue to contribute at least enough in savings to 401(k) plans, Shamrell said, to receive their company's matching contributions. "It will not only put you in a good spot when markets recover but also allow you to continue to take advantage of any matching contributions your employer might offer," Shamrell said. Shamrell told me in a phone interview that it's encouraging that many people continued to stay on course in early 2025 and not make changes with their 401(k) savings — even with all the dramatic swings on Wall Street. The total 401(k) savings rate — adding both employee savings and employer contributions — increased to a record 14.3% in the first quarter, according to Fidelity data. The record-high 401(k) total savings rate, according to Fidelity, was driven by an unprecedented employee contribution rate of 9.5%, plus an employer match of 4.8% — the highest employer contribution rate recorded to date. At a 14.3% total retirement savings rate, Shamrell said, more people are moving closer to a recommended 401(k) savings rate of 15%. Fidelity recommends that employees aim to save at least 15% of their pretax income each year, including matching money from your employer, to help ensure that they have enough money in retirement to maintain their current lifestyle. Shamrell said the first quarter results likely benefited as some companies increased their 401(k) contributions into the plans based on profit-sharing arrangements. Beginning in 2025, the federal law called the Secure 2.0 Act also required companies with new 401(k) plans and 403(b) plans to automatically enroll eligible employees at a minimum contribution rate of 3%, but no more than 10%. The employee may opt out. Also under Secure 2.0, those enrolled in new 401(k) plans would automatically see their contributions out of their paychecks go up by 1% or so every year until they reached 10%. The employee could opt out or change the contribution rate. Both auto enrollment and auto escalation rules that began in 2025 apply to new plans established on or after Dec. 29, 2022. Employers are not required to offer 401(k) plans under Secure 2.0. More: US bond market, Brexit could foreshadow trouble for your 401(k) Other retirement trends, according to Fidelity data: Most individuals continued to contribute to their retirement savings accounts and continued to invest in the stock market. Of the 6% individuals that made a change to their allocation, 28.2% of those participants moved some of their savings into more conservative investments. Only 0.9% of 401(k) participants stopped contributing at all to a 401(k) plan in the first quarter. More than 66% of 401(k) participants used a target date fund or managed account, which offers a mix of assets. Target date funds provide an asset mix that reflects an individual's age and their expected or targeted year of retirement. Managed accounts are more personalized and also consider an individual's goals and risk tolerance. More: Stock market meltdown driven by tariff chaos hits 401(k) investors hard for 3rd day More: Trump tariffs tank stocks, 401(k)s, as market digests massive shift in economic policy Overall, 401(k) savers and investors have been resilient, according to Melissa Joy, president of Pearl Planning, a wealth adviser in Dexter. Many investors who maintained their overall allocation saw their portfolios start to return to positive territory by early May, she said. "We were seeing accounts just north of positive — up 2% to 4% at the end of the first quarter. Then, liberation day made everything topsy turvy in early April with deep but in many cases temporary drawdowns," she said. She acknowledged, though, that it is becoming difficult for some investors to separate their political outlook from their investment perspective. "But, all-in-all, our clients maintained their allocations and investment strategy through the volatility we've seen so far this year," Joy said. Uncertainty, of course, remains among the most popular words used by CEOs and other business leaders in 2025. We don't know what's next for Wall Street, trade talks, or the overall economy — and that isn't making it easy to save for retirement in 2025. Contact personal finance columnist Susan Tompor: stompor@ Follow her on X @tompor.
USA Today
an hour ago
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Not easy to become a 401(k) millionaire as balances dip in first quarter, Fidelity says
Not easy to become a 401(k) millionaire as balances dip in first quarter, Fidelity says Show Caption Hide Caption Understanding a 401k: How it works and why it's important What is a 401k plan? Key benefits and how to maximize your savings. Fidelity reported that 512,000 savers were 401(k)-created millionaires in the first quarter, down about 4.6% from 537,000 in the fourth quarter of 2025. Most individuals continued to contribute to their retirement savings and continued to invest in stocks. Only 0.9% of 401(k) participants stopped contributing at all to a 401(k) plan in the first quarter, according to Fidelity. Retirement savers have faced plenty of white knuckle days in 2025 where stock market conditions — and on-again, pause-again tariffs — put everyone's nerves on edge. Amazingly, no matter how awful things felt some days, many have not seen a double-digit fallout in their 401(k) savings in the first quarter, according to the latest data from Fidelity Investments. Average 401(k) retirement account balances fell 3% from late last year through the first three months this year to $127,100. Savers still saw a 1% gain in balances from the first quarter a year ago, according to Fidelity Investment data. Not as many 401(k) millionaires It wasn't as easy to become a millionaire during the first quarter's rough ride. Fidelity reported that 512,000 savers were 401(k)-created millionaires in the first quarter, down about 4.6% from 537,000 in the fourth quarter of 2024. These savers had at least $1 million in their retirement account. Fidelity saw a record number of 401k-created millionaires in the third quarter last year at 544,000 savers. Fidelity Investment's 401(k) data is based on 25,300 defined contribution plans at various companies across the country. The plans covered 24.4 million participants as of March 31. The on-again, off-again market panic What a difference a few months of economic uncertainty makes. We had a good, set-it-and-forget-it kind of a year in 2024. At the end of last year, retirement savers saw average 401(k) balances go up 11% from the start of the year, according to Fidelity's data. Even seeing a 3% decline in the first quarter this year could be unsettling for some savers, considering that 401(k) savers only saw a slight 0.5% dip on average from the third quarter through the fourth quarter last year. You would have to go back about two years to the third quarter of 2023 to see a drop of 4% in average retirement savings from the second quarter that year. So far, it has been one incredibly weird kind of a year with some miserable declines and some miraculous rebounds. Fortunately, many investors are no longer dealing with the 15% year-to-date decline that we saw as of April 8 for the Standard & Poor's 500 index. "If one 'took a nap' on Jan. 19 and didn't wake up until May 31, they would have conjectured that the markets had been relatively calm," said Robert Bilkie, CEO of Sigma Investment Counselors in Northville. The S&P 500 index was up 0.92% year to date through June 2 when the S&P 500 closed at 5,935.94 points. The total year-to-date return — including dividends — was 1.49% through the market close June 2. The total return was 25.02% in 2023 and up 26.29% in 2025. Most diversified common stock accounts held by savers are up modestly for the year, Bilkie noted. In case you missed it: Stocks have taken a beating. What should you do about your 401(k)? Pain worse for those investing in auto stocks, other companies The key word here is diversified. Some investors continue to face deep losses in 2025, particularly if they invested a large chunk of their money in one stock or industry. General Motors stock, for example, was down 10.47% year to date from its close of $53.27 a share on Dec. 31, 2024, through the June 2 close of $47.69 a share. Stellantis was down 25% from its close of $13.05 a share on Dec. 31 through its close on June 2 of $9.78 a share. Ford stock is up 0.8% from year-end 2024 when the stock price closed at $9.90 a share through June 2 when the stock closed at $9.98 a share. "The worst losses were centered around companies that were impacted by the uncertainty surrounding tariffs and trade war," said Sam Huszczo, a chartered financial analyst in Lathrup Village. "Think Tesla or Nike, who are very dependent on a confident consumer and relying extensively on international markets, manufacturing, and supply chains." Tesla stock was down 15% year-to-date through June 2; Nike was down 18.6% during that same time before dividends. This year, many investors also sold stock in some companies as they took profits from the high-flying stocks of 2024, like technology stocks, Huszczo said. "What goes up fast, also comes down fast. As the market darlings of last year turned into this year's cautionary tales." We continue to witness unpredictability, and a sense that things are different from economic shifts in the past. Wild swings made it hard to know what to do Unlike the 2008-09 meltdown, we've not seen stock prices just keep continuously falling so far this year. Instead, we've seen some ungodly volatility. We've had days where the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 2,231.07 points or 5.5% on April 4 and suddenly gained 2,963 points or 7.87% on April 9. Huszczo said many individual investors who are saving for retirement or other reasons tended not to panic sell, and often bought into the dip. Some "charged into the dip like it was Black Friday." Lost retirement funds: $1.7 trillion sits in lost and forgotten 401(k) accounts. Is one of them yours? On 'Liberation Day' on April 2, Donald Trump put tariffs on every nation. On April 9, though, Trump paused his "Liberation Day" tariffs for 90 days until July 8 after Wall Street revolted over the widespread tariffs, which were expected to drive up prices and drive down economic growth in the United States. Now, the Trump administration wants countries to provide their best offer on trade negotiations by June 4, according to a Reuters report June 2. Michael Shamrell, Fidelity's vice president of thought leadership for workplace investing, said Fidelity recommends that maintaining a long-term plan is often the most appropriate strategy when investors face an uptick of volatility in the market, as has been the situation in 2025. "Factors like rapid policy changes, political uncertainty, and the impact of tariffs, along with the speed and magnitude of changes, contribute to a sense of heightened instability," the Fidelity report stated. Savers still want to continue to contribute at least enough in savings to 401(k) plans, Shamrell said, to receive their company's matching contributions. "It will not only put you in a good spot when markets recover but also allow you to continue to take advantage of any matching contributions your employer might offer," Shamrell said. Shamrell told me in a phone interview that it's encouraging that many people continued to stay on course in early 2025 and not make changes with their 401(k) savings — even with all the dramatic swings on Wall Street. The total 401(k) savings rate — adding both employee savings and employer contributions — increased to a record 14.3% in the first quarter, according to Fidelity data. The record-high 401(k) total savings rate, according to Fidelity, was driven by an unprecedented employee contribution rate of 9.5%, plus an employer match of 4.8% — the highest employer contribution rate recorded to date. At a 14.3% total retirement savings rate, Shamrell said, more people are moving closer to a recommended 401(k) savings rate of 15%. Fidelity recommends that employees aim to save at least 15% of their pretax income each year, including matching money from your employer, to help ensure that they have enough money in retirement to maintain their current lifestyle. Shamrell said the first quarter results likely benefited as some companies increased their 401(k) contributions into the plans based on profit-sharing arrangements. Beginning in 2025, the federal law called the Secure 2.0 Act also required companies with new 401(k) plans and 403(b) plans to automatically enroll eligible employees at a minimum contribution rate of 3%, but no more than 10%. The employee may opt out. Also under Secure 2.0, those enrolled in new 401(k) plans would automatically see their contributions out of their paychecks go up by 1% or so every year until they reached 10%. The employee could opt out or change the contribution rate. Both auto enrollment and auto escalation rules that began in 2025 apply to new plans established on or after Dec. 29, 2022. Employers are not required to offer 401(k) plans under Secure 2.0. Other retirement trends, according to Fidelity data: Most individuals continued to contribute to their retirement savings accounts and continued to invest in the stock market. Of the 6% individuals that made a change to their allocation, 28.2% of those participants moved some of their savings into more conservative investments. Only 0.9% of 401(k) participants stopped contributing at all to a 401(k) plan in the first quarter. More than 66% of 401(k) participants used a target date fund or managed account, which offers a mix of assets. Target date funds provide an asset mix that reflects an individual's age and their expected or targeted year of retirement. Managed accounts are more personalized and also consider an individual's goals and risk tolerance. Overall, 401(k) savers and investors have been resilient, according to Melissa Joy, president of Pearl Planning, a wealth adviser in Dexter. Many investors who maintained their overall allocation saw their portfolios start to return to positive territory by early May, she said. "We were seeing accounts just north of positive — up 2% to 4% at the end of the first quarter. Then, liberation day made everything topsy turvy in early April with deep but in many cases temporary drawdowns," she said. She acknowledged, though, that it is becoming difficult for some investors to separate their political outlook from their investment perspective. "But, all-in-all, our clients maintained their allocations and investment strategy through the volatility we've seen so far this year," Joy said. Uncertainty, of course, remains among the most popular words used by CEOs and other business leaders in 2025. We don't know what's next for Wall Street, trade talks, or the overall economy — and that isn't making it easy to save for retirement in 2025. Contact personal finance columnist Susan Tompor: stompor@ Follow her on X @tompor.
Yahoo
an hour ago
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Jim Cramer Says He 'Personally Would Not Own Altria (MO)'
We recently published a list of . In this article, we are going to take a look at where Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) stands against other stocks that Jim Cramer discusses. Answering a caller's query about Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO), Cramer commented: 'Alright, but here's, okay, so I'm going to give you two answers to this because I've been trying to change my mind about some things…. I personally would not own Altria. Why? Because I don't like what they do. Is it a superior stock better than most? The answer is, as I was writing How to Make Money in Any Market, the answer is yes. So you've got two answers. It's up to you. I couldn't own it for my trust. I couldn't live with myself.' A close-up of an assembly line with a blend of tobacco products. Altria (NYSE:MO) produces and markets a range of tobacco and nicotine products, including cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, nicotine pouches, and e-vapor devices, sold under brands like Marlboro, Black & Mild, Copenhagen, and NJOY ACE. Andvari Associates stated the following regarding Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) in its Q1 2025 investor letter: 'Last year, Andvari made its first investments in tobacco companies with the purchase of Philip Morris International and Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO). At the time of our purchase, Philip Morris and Altria had underperformed the S&P 500 over the prior 5- and 10-year periods. Both traded at low valuations and with high dividend yields. But thanks to following the industry o and on for 10+ years, and thanks to many discussions with long-time shareholders of the companies, Andvari felt the time was right to make the plunge. The timing could not have been much better for us as both companies have so far contributed positively to Andvari's recent overall performance. Overall, MO ranks 8th on our list of stocks that Jim Cramer discusses. While we acknowledge the potential of MO as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an extremely cheap AI stock that is also a major beneficiary of Trump tariffs and onshoring, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
