Erste Group Bank Lifts Earnings Estimates for Citigroup

Key Points

• Erste Group Bank raised Citigroup’s FY2026 EPS estimate to $11.20 from $11.18, broadly in line with the $11.21 analyst consensus. Citigroup holds a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $145.22.
• Citigroup’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with EPS of $3.15 versus the $2.74 estimate and revenue of $24.77 billion, up 14.5% year over year.
• The bank authorized a $30 billion share-repurchase program and increased its quarterly dividend to $0.67 per share, producing an annualized dividend of $2.68 and a 2.0% yield.

Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Erste Group Bank upped their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Citigroup in a research report issued on Thursday, August 27th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now forecasts that the company will post earnings of $11.20 per share for the year, up from their prior estimate of $11.18. The consensus estimate for Citigroup's current full-year earnings is $11.21 per share.

C has been the topic of a number of other reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Citigroup from $140.00 to $153.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Citigroup from $170.00 to $176.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Argus set a $150.00 price objective on Citigroup in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Truist Financial reduced their target price on Citigroup from $158.00 to $154.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Citigroup from $154.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, June 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Citigroup has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $145.22.

Citigroup Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:C opened at $132.77 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 0.99. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $136.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $126.83. Citigroup has a fifty-two week low of $92.96 and a fifty-two week high of $147.96. The firm has a market cap of $226.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.34, a P/E/G ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 1.12.

Citigroup (NYSE:C - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 14th. The company reported $3.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.74 by $0.41. The business had revenue of $24.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.74 billion. Citigroup had a net margin of 10.23% and a return on equity of 10.15%. The company's revenue was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.96 EPS.

Citigroup announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, May 7th that authorizes the company to buyback $30.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 13.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Citigroup Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 28th. Investors of record on Monday, August 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 3rd. This is a positive change from Citigroup's previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Citigroup's payout ratio is currently 28.94%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Citigroup

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of C. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in Citigroup by 166.9% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 19,990 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,407,000 after purchasing an additional 12,499 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Citigroup by 20.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 9,805 shares of the company's stock valued at $835,000 after purchasing an additional 1,669 shares during the last quarter. United Bank purchased a new position in shares of Citigroup in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $972,000. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Citigroup by 3,016.7% during the 2nd quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 935 shares of the company's stock valued at $80,000 after purchasing an additional 905 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HUB Investment Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Citigroup by 26.9% during the 2nd quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 15,287 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,301,000 after purchasing an additional 3,238 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.72% of the company's stock.

Citigroup News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Citigroup this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup’s recent quarterly results provide a fundamental cushion: earnings and revenue exceeded analyst expectations, with revenue up 14.5% year over year. SEC Probe Puts Wall Street Leverage Risk Back in Focus
• Neutral Sentiment: Citi analyst activity on Oracle, BMW and Forvia reflects the bank’s research and advisory business, but the recommendations are directed at those companies and have little direct impact on Citigroup’s equity value. Oracle Stock Gains Premarket
• Neutral Sentiment: Citigroup entities reported exiting substantial-holder status in Australia’s IDP Education and Healius. These appear to be portfolio or position disclosures rather than changes to Citi’s core business, making the immediate stock impact limited. Citi Group Entities Exit Substantial Holder Status in IDP Education
• Negative Sentiment: The SEC reportedly subpoenaed Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan and Bank of America over margin lending to hedge fund Situational Awareness, which suffered a 67% drawdown during an AI-stock sell-off. The probe puts leverage, collateral and counterparty-risk controls under scrutiny; potential fines, litigation costs or tighter lending requirements could weigh on Citi’s profitability, although the ultimate exposure remains unclear. SEC Probe Puts Wall Street Leverage Risk Back in Focus

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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