Erste Group Bank Expects Higher Earnings for Citigroup

Key Points

• Erste Group raised its FY2026 EPS estimate for Citigroup to $10.33 (from $10.31), notably above the Wall Street consensus of $7.53, signaling a more bullish earnings outlook from that analyst.
• Citigroup recently reported quarterly EPS of $1.81, beating estimates of $1.65, but revenue of $19.87 billion missed expectations of $20.99 billion while rising 2.1% year‑over‑year.
• The bank announced a quarterly dividend of $0.60 per share (annualized $2.40, yield 2.1%, ex‑dividend May 4) and has seen sizable institutional flows—Norges Bank added a new ~$2.8 billion stake while Vanguard and others boosted holdings, leaving roughly 72% institutional ownership.

Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C - Free Report) - Analysts at Erste Group Bank upped their FY2026 EPS estimates for shares of Citigroup in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, April 2nd. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now anticipates that the company will post earnings per share of $10.33 for the year, up from their prior forecast of $10.31. The consensus estimate for Citigroup's current full-year earnings is $7.53 per share.

Citigroup (NYSE:C - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 14th. The company reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.16. Citigroup had a net margin of 8.50% and a return on equity of 8.28%. The company had revenue of $19.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $20.99 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.34 EPS. Citigroup's revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Citigroup in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $135.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $132.00 target price on shares of Citigroup in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Citigroup from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Citigroup in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of Citigroup from $118.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Citigroup currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $127.41.

Citigroup Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE C opened at $116.84 on Wednesday. Citigroup has a 1 year low of $56.07 and a 1 year high of $125.16. The stock has a market cap of $204.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 1.11. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $112.83 and a 200 day moving average of $108.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 1.00.

Citigroup Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 4th. Citigroup's payout ratio is presently 34.43%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Citigroup

In other news, insider Cantu Ernesto Torres sold 43,173 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.09, for a total transaction of $4,796,088.57. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 45,835 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,091,810.15. The trade was a 48.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.08% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Citigroup

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in C. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Citigroup during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,800,944,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Citigroup by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 163,239,926 shares of the company's stock worth $19,048,467,000 after acquiring an additional 4,938,923 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in shares of Citigroup by 17.6% during the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 28,125,995 shares of the company's stock worth $2,854,788,000 after acquiring an additional 4,211,099 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors lifted its position in Citigroup by 6.5% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 47,262,626 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,797,292,000 after purchasing an additional 2,871,074 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in Citigroup by 6,172.0% during the third quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 2,904,795 shares of the company's stock valued at $294,838,000 after purchasing an additional 2,858,481 shares during the last quarter. 71.72% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Citigroup News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Citigroup this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target on Citigroup to $137 and kept a Buy stance — a prominent shop increasing its target can attract flows and give the stock near-term upside. The Goldman Sachs Group Raises Citigroup Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Axis Capital extended a $300M credit facility with Citibank Europe — a direct commercial banking revenue and relationship win that supports fee and lending activity in EMEA. Axis Capital Extends Credit Facility With Citibank Europe
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary highlighting Citigroup’s macro call — Citi has pushed out its forecast for Fed rate cuts to September, implying a longer period of higher rates that typically boosts bank net interest income. That research-driven narrative is supportive for bank earnings expectations. Citigroup Delays Fed Rate Cut Timeline to September
• Neutral Sentiment: Citi is pushing to grow its wealth-management franchise and recruit bankers to close gaps with rivals — a strategic positive long term but likely involves near-term hiring costs and execution risk. Citi Races to Close Gap With Rivals in Wealth
• Neutral Sentiment: Street expectations and previews (Zacks, Seeking Alpha) position Citi for a solid Q1 — that sets up potential upside if results beat, but also raises the bar for the report. Citigroup Earnings Preview (Zacks)
• Negative Sentiment: JPMorgan trimmed its price target modestly (from $134 to $131) despite keeping an Overweight rating — a small analyst downgrade that can temper some upside momentum. JPMorgan Lowers Citigroup Price Target
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing geopolitical risk in the Middle East keeps market volatility and trading headwinds elevated, which can pressure investment-banking and markets revenue for large global banks like Citi even as higher rates help NII. Fragile U.S.-Iran Ceasefire Sparks Market Relief (CNBC)

About Citigroup

Citigroup Inc is a global financial services company headquartered in New York City with roots tracing back to the City Bank of New York, founded in 1812. The modern Citigroup was created through the 1998 merger of Citicorp and Travelers Group and has since operated as a diversified bank holding company that provides a broad range of banking and financial products and services to consumers, corporations, governments and institutions worldwide.

Citi's principal businesses include retail and commercial banking, credit card and consumer lending products, wealth management and private banking, and a full suite of institutional services.

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