Citadel plans to return about $5 billion in 2025 profits to investors early next year, the people said.
The company’s flagship multi-strategy fund, known as Wellington, rose 9.3% in the year through last week, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing performance details.
The person said the returns would not be all profits generated in 2025, but rather a way to conserve capital in what fund managers perceive as limited opportunities heading into the new year. As such, Citadel will start 2026 with $67 billion in assets, down from the $72 billion it currently manages, the people said.
A Citadel spokesperson declined to comment.
The company doesn’t choose to distribute profits every year, but it has returned $32 billion in profits to investors since 2017 (including what’s due to be returned this year).
According to LCH Investments, Citadel ranks among the most profitable hedge funds based on net income since its inception. Since its founding in 1990, Citadel has generated $83 billion in net income by 2024. That number is expected to jump to more than $88 billion when the new rankings are released in January.
