Citigroup âneedlessly dilutedâ the holdings of the government and other holders through the $17 billion sale, Kotowski wrote yesterday in a report. The number of shares outstanding rose by 24 percent to 28.3 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Yesterdayâs sale marked the third time that Citigroup reduced its holdersâ percentage stakes during the six-month period. The companyâs outstanding shares doubled in July and doubled again in September as $58 billion of preferred shares were converted into common stock.
The government participated in the conversion and ended up owning a 34 percent stake. A plan to sell as much as $5 billion of the shares was scrapped when Citigroup made the 5.4 billion- share sale at $3.15 a share, 10 cents less than the cost of the governmentâs stock. The sale reduced its holding to 27 percent.
âThere would have been plenty of demandâ for government- held shares at more than $4 each, Kotowski wrote. Citigroup hurt taxpayers and other investors, he added, âby forcing the sale of common while still having the overhang of the government.â