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Why Citigroup (C) Outpaced the Stock Market Today

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The latest trading session saw Citigroup (C - Free Report) ending at $70.75, denoting a +1.3% adjustment from its last day's close. The stock's performance was ahead of the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.3%. Meanwhile, the Dow gained 0.99%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, added 0.27%.

The U.S. bank's shares have seen an increase of 13.08% over the last month, surpassing the Finance sector's gain of 4.87% and the S&P 500's gain of 2.1%.

The investment community will be closely monitoring the performance of Citigroup in its forthcoming earnings report. The company is scheduled to release its earnings on January 15, 2025. The company is forecasted to report an EPS of $1.20, showcasing a 42.86% upward movement from the corresponding quarter of the prior year. At the same time, our most recent consensus estimate is projecting a revenue of $19.46 billion, reflecting a 11.57% rise from the equivalent quarter last year.

Regarding the entire year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates forecast earnings of $5.85 per share and revenue of $80.92 billion, indicating changes of -3.15% and +3.13%, respectively, compared to the previous year.

Investors might also notice recent changes to analyst estimates for Citigroup. These revisions help to show the ever-changing nature of near-term business trends. Therefore, positive revisions in estimates convey analysts' confidence in the company's business performance and profit potential.

Based on our research, we believe these estimate revisions are directly related to near-team stock moves. To take advantage of this, we've established the Zacks Rank, an exclusive model that considers these estimated changes and delivers an operational rating system.

The Zacks Rank system ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell). It has a remarkable, outside-audited track record of success, with #1 stocks delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has shifted 0.32% downward. Citigroup is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

Valuation is also important, so investors should note that Citigroup has a Forward P/E ratio of 11.93 right now. This indicates a discount in contrast to its industry's Forward P/E of 17.15.

One should further note that C currently holds a PEG ratio of 0.78. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. The average PEG ratio for the Financial - Investment Bank industry stood at 1.55 at the close of the market yesterday.

The Financial - Investment Bank industry is part of the Finance sector. This industry, currently bearing a Zacks Industry Rank of 42, finds itself in the top 17% echelons of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our individual industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

To follow C in the coming trading sessions, be sure to utilize Zacks.com.


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