Citigroup stock jumps on better-than-expected

Citigroup reported its third-quarter results on Friday morning, with solid growth in both institutional clients and personal banking fueling higher-than-expected revenue.

Here’s what the company announced compared with what Wall Street was expecting, based on a survey of analysts by LSEG, formerly known as Refinitiv:

• Earnings per share: $1.63, or $1.52 when excluding the impact of divestitures, vs. expected $1.21.  At this time, it is unclear if analysts included that divestitures item in their estimates.
• Revenue: $20.14 billion, vs. expected $19.31 billion

Revenue and net income rose by 9% and 2%, respectively, year over year.

Citigroup’s institutional clients unit reported $10.6 billion in revenue, up 12% year over year and 2% from the second quarter. The personal banking and wealth management division generated $6.8 billion in revenue, up roughly 10% year over year and 6% from the second quarter.

“Despite the headwinds, our five core, interconnected businesses each posted revenue growth resulting in overall growth of 9%,” CEO Jane Fraser said in a press release.

Shares of the bank were up more than 3% in midday trading. Citigroup’s stock was down 8% for the year entering Friday.

Among other banks that reported quarterly results on Friday morning, JPMorgan and Wells Fargo both showed stronger-than-expected revenue numbers in their third-quarter reports.

Citigroup reported $1.84 billion in total cost of credit at the end of the quarter, up slightly from $1.82 billion at the end of the second quarter and $1.37 billion a year ago. That metric includes a net build of $125 million in the allowance for credit losses during the third quarter.

Citigroup will discuss the results in a conference call later Friday morning. Investors will be looking for more detail about the reorganization of the bank under Fraser.

Friday’s earnings report includes the period during which Fraser announced the bank would be divided into five main business lines, the latest change for the CEO since taking over in March 2021. The new structure, announced Sept. 13, is expected to include job cuts.

Another initiative under Fraser has been Citi selling off its retail banking business in some international markets. The latest move on that front came on Oct. 9, when the bank announced that it had struck a deal to sell its onshore consumer wealth portfolio in China.